Sassafrass Junction
by MsEerieChastain
Summary: Twice burned, three times as heartbroken. Bella left Forks and returned to Phoenix to start again. Jasper walks into a bar to find a familiar face.  He can't believe his eyes, but he likes what they see.  Ditto Bella.  Mature content, over 18 only, thx!
1. Chapter 1

It's back, I'm back, and if you didn't know I was gone to begin with, well, all the better. New name, same fuckery. Let's do this, shall we?

As always, I don't own them, I just made them a little more awesome.

**Bella**

Six o' clock, time to get ready for my shift, dressed to kill and all that. Putting on my favorite distressed denim short-shorts, paired with a chocolate-colored tank with a lace-up bust, and tanned thigh-high moccasin boots, I knew the tips would be alright tonight. Instead of brushing my hair, I finger-combed though the tangles so it wouldn't frizz, running my fingers through the chestnut locks that hung almost to my waist. I'd added highlights since my mousier days, caramel and blonde, adding some definition to my formerly boring mop. Some smoky eye-shadow, a couple coats of mascara, and a swipe of lip gloss, and the look was complete.

"Bella Swan, I do believe you are quite the hottie," I complemented my reflection. "Showtime," I finished with a whisper to the face staring back at me.

**Jasper**

I caved. Peter and Charlotte had been belly-achin' for me to go out on the town with them since we arrived at their hacienda at the edge of town. Seriously, what the fuck kind of business do vampires have settling in Phoenix? But they don't mind having to hide out in the shadows; that's where their hunting is best anyway. The scum of humanity have always been plentiful at the midnight hour. At least their place is far enough away from civilization that fresh air was still an option, should we want to step outside and enjoy the sun. And the mountains of Flagstaff weren't too far away for me to take care of my feeding needs, so it all worked out. I was proud of myself for managing to maintain my vegetarian lifestyle; my control had never been better.

My lifelong friends had generously allowed me to tag along with them for the last eighteen months. I wasn't sure how much longer they were going to put up with me, but I couldn't bring myself to go back to the family just yet. I knew Alice wouldn't be there, having settled into her new life in Paris, but the looks of pity on their faces, let alone in their emotions, were still too fresh in my mind.

"Jesus tits numbnuts, you still moping around? Fuck, you need to get laid." Peter smirked at me as he walked into my room. "You ready to go?"

Sigh. "Yes, asshole, let's get this night over with. Where are we going again?"

"Fuck if I know. Out. Wherever's playing a good tune that will allow my sweet wife to rub all over me on the dance floor. Maybe we'll find someone who'll rub up on you too," he said, giving me a trademark Peter Whitlock shit-eating grin.

We all piled into Peter's Tahoe and headed into downtown Phoenix. It was a nice night, so we found a central place to park and decided to walk. We bypassed various eating establishments, bars, and clubs. I was glad we bypassed the clubs; I knew Char was up for dancin' but those places ooze with lust. I'll pass.

After a bit, we came across a place that was playing some Skynyrd. Ahh, '_Sweet Home Alabama'_. Now we're talking.

"Sassafrass Junction?" Char looked at the neon sign over the doorway. "What do you think guys? This place could be fun."

Peter put his arm around Charlotte and kissed her on the forehead. "Baby, this is exactly what we were looking for, let's do it." Peter met my eyes and jerked his head, toward the direction of the door. I saw a glimmer of something in his eyes, which worried me a little, but I followed them inside.

We found a booth off in a corner not too far from the dance floor. Before long, a waitress wearing a halter top and skin-clinging pair of jeans came to take our drink orders. Keeping up with appearances, Peter and I ordered beers, Char ordered a Cosmo. "What?" she asked defensively, "They look cute."

AC/DC started to blare over the speakers, _You Shook Me_.

"Baby, I do believe they are playing our song. Let's go dance," Peter said, taking Charlotte's hand and leading her to the dance floor.

I resumed wallowing in my misery. At the start of the next song, a commotion at the bar caught my attention. Five ladies, one of which I recognized as our server, had hopped up on the counter and began dancing to the song, sort of like them gals in that _Coyote Ugly_ movie from a few years back. They were shimmying and gyrating against each other, tossing their hair around. _Huh, this place could be entertaining after all,_ I thought to myself with a grin.

My eyes landed on the gal on the far right. She looked familiar. Real familiar. For the first time, I doubted my infallible vampire eyesight, because there was no way that was her. For starters, she'd be way too shy, not to mention too clumsy, to be doing what that gal was doing there.

Suddenly a drunk grabbed a hold of her boot at her mid-calf, causing her to lose balance for a moment. She recovered, then leaned down into the drunk's face and proceeded to give him an earful. My jaw dropped. Looks could be deceiving, but there was no mistaking that voice. Bella Swan. The meek little girl my family had left years ago now appeared to be a sassy little vixen with the mouth of a sailor. I found this a little more intriguing than I'd have cared to admit, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Still slim, she had gained some womanly curves in all the right places, what with that naughty lace-up tank and them cute little shorty-shorts. And those boots? Mmph. I stopped that train of thought and shook my head. What was I thinking?

"See something you like?" Peter chuckled, slapping me on the back. Bastard, of course he knew. I chose to ignore him and continued watching Bella, who was now dancing rather suggestively with one of the other girls. I reckoned she must've kicked the whole shyness thing, seeing how the other gal was rubbing on her, and no trademark blush was to be seen on Bella's face.

The drunk she'd chewed out had continued leering and catcalling at her, which she ignored until he suddenly made a grab for her again, successfully knocking her off balance. Ok, so not everything had changed. I saw her topple forward off the bar, and before I knew it, I had her in my arms, still facing the floor, having caught her before she'd fully connected with linoleum.

She stiffened and then slowly tried to right herself. Her eyes connected with mine and grew wide.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

**A/N: To my new readers, welcome, I hope you like what you've seen so far. To previous SJ readers, please be patient because I'm cleaning up the first 15 or so chapters I'd written before I was blessed to gain Mynxi's beta mastery. It'll all be back soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

Still aren't my characters, but damn, aren't they fun?

**Bella**

The bar was quickly reaching its Friday night potential. I'd been shlepping drinks and dodging grabby hands since 9 o' clock. It was a little easier to dodge the hands from behind the bar than it was when I was out working the tables. I'd been tending bar for 2 months now, having caught on to the science of "mixology" fairly quickly. It was busy, but the money was good, and I had a lot less hands trying to cop a feel of my ass.

What it didn't get me out of was the little performances we had to do on top of the bar. Fortunately, Lara schooled me on moves when I first got hired at the Junction. Remembering a time not too long ago, when the very thought of dancing in public made me nauseous, it was just another thing that under the right circumstances, namely Jose Cuervo, I caught onto just fine. When I knew it was coming close to being time for a dance, I'd down a couple shots of my guy Jose, and he got me through it just fine.

"How's it going back there, sweet cheeks?" I smiled at my best bitch as she slid behind the bar to fill some pint glasses with beer.

"Ah you know how it is Lara, same shit, different dickheads. Well, some of the same ones too," I replied giving her a wicked grin. Lara shook her head at me, tossing her long blond hair as she headed back out to the crowd.

"Hey, I resemble that!" chortled one of said drunk dickheads perched at the bar.

"I know Hank, I was talking about you!" I swiftly filled a line of shot glasses, placing them on a tray which I handed to Phoebe, a small server with short, deep red hair.

Just then, Tall Dark and Sloshy and snapped a one hundred dollar bill in both hands. "Hey honey, it's my boy's birthday, think you chicks can put on a show?"

I forced a smile on my face, taking the Benjamin and stuffing it into the jar behind the bar. "You bet, sugar." I downed the shot I had waiting behind the bar, and then clanged the bell hanging from the wall.

The girls left their tables and ran up to the bar. I nodded at the DJ who started a crowd favorite, '_Pour Some Sugar on Me'_.

We hopped on top of the bar and began the choreography for the song. The crowd went nuts as we started swaying our hips, raising our hands up into our hair, and then running them back down over our breasts down to our hips. Lara put her arm around me and rubbed her abdomen into my hips, placing her hands on my waist. I slowly squatted down, twisting my hips, when Tall Dark and Sloshy stepped closer and grabbed my calf, trying to run his hand up my thigh.

I jerked back and away, teetering precariously to the edge of the bar but managed to catch myself before falling off. Fucker was leering at me.

I leaned toward him, getting up close and personal. "What the fuck? Try that shit again and your ass is bounced, got it dickwad?"

"Aw, c'mon baby girl, I'm just trying to get my money's worth. No harm no foul, right?" Tall Dark & Sloshy continued to leer.

I narrowed my eyes and opened my mouth about to give him both barrels, when Lara came up behind me and whispered in my ear, while running her hands up and down my sides, "Ignore the asshole, sweetie, and finish the show."

I reached my hands up and behind me, caressing Lara's hair while she ran her hands along the sides and underneath my breasts, before traveling down my hips. Known territory for Lara. Gyrating my waist in time with Lara's, I bent forward at the hips, giving the crowd a glimpse of my goodies down my tank top, adding a toss of my hair.

Tall Dark & Sloshy made for another grab and this time there was no stopping gravity. Son of a bitch. Just before my teeth met the floor, a pair of cold hard arms caught me. No. Just, NO. Make that _fuck_ NO!

I tried to turn myself to look, and the arms relaxed, allowing me to adjust myself. I looked up into a pair of topaz eyes, albeit not the ones I was expecting to see. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Hello Bella," he said, with a smile crinkling his eyes. "Are you ok?"

I pulled away and his arms released me. "Jasper? What the fuck are you doing here?"

He snorted, "Nice to see you too."

Now that I was ground level, Tall Dark and Sloshy tried to wrap his arms around my waist from behind, copping a feel in the process. "Hey buddy, there's plenty more of these whores around here. I got dibs on this one."

In a flash, Jasper reached over my shoulder and grabbed Sloshy's shirt, yanking him around me and up close to his face, growling under his breath menacingly. Travis, one of the bouncers, made his appearance to take over from there, and I took that moment to step aside and beeline for the side door.

I passed by Lara, who looked at me in concern, "Is everything all right honey?"

"Yeah, what a fucker! I need a smoke break, can you cover me for 5 minutes?" She nodded and tossed me my pack of smokes from my purse behind the bar. "Thanks babe."

I pushed the door open and stepped out into the night air. What the fuck just happened?


	3. Chapter 3

They still aren't mine. Pity.

**Jasper**

Once the bouncer took the piece of shit off of my hands, I looked around for Bella who was nowhere to be found. I made eye contact with Peter, who nodded, then looked pointedly at a door off to the side marked 'EXIT'. I nodded back at him, ignoring his wink, and went for the door. It opened into the alley, where I found her standing a few feet away trying to light a cigarette with shaking hands. Huh. She swears, dances, and smokes. What would my dear, dumbass little brother think of his innocent little Bella now? I briefly wondered if that part had changed about her too, before shaking off that errant little thought. Focus Jasper!

I pulled my trusty Zippo out of my pocket and flitted in front of her to light her smoke. She jumped a little, then muttered "Thank you," followed by a deep drag. She exhaled, squinting at me through the smoke. "So really, what the fuck are you doing here? I mean, Phoenix fucking Arizona? Seriously?" She started to chuckle shaking her head, then stopped.

"Oh shit. Are you, um, all here? Because if that pussy-ass motherfucker brother of yours is here, I swear to God-"

Oh, that dirty mouth. I put my hands up. "Bella, slow down girl! Breathe, would ya?" Bella stopped talking and took another drag, still eying me with distrust. "Damn woman, reel in the agitation before you get me jonesing for a smoke. Matter of fact, gimme one."

Her eyes widened for a moment. "You're serious?"

"Not like it's gonna kill me, right?" I smirked at her. She handed one to me, which I promptly lit. Alice was never a fan of smoking. I think I may take it up again. "I never pictured you a Marlboro gal." She shrugged. "Of course, I never would've pictured much about the sight my eyes are now beholdin'."

She closed her eyes and shook her head at me, still agitated. "You didn't answer my question. Are you 'all' here?"

I looked her in the eye. "No, Bella. I'm here with my friends Peter and Charlotte. Been stayin' with them for a while." I felt some relief wafting almost instantly from Bella, followed by a twinge of regret.

Bella started to say something, and then paused. "Where's Alice?"

I took a lengthy drag. "Alice is in Paris with 'the love of her existence', Sebastien," I said, a bit mockingly. "She left me for him eighteen months ago when she met him at a fashion show in Paris. She called to tell me she wouldn't be coming home, having met her 'true'" (I made quote marks with my hands) "mate. She at least had the decency to apologize and wish me a good life, that someday I'd meet mine, yada, yada, then asked me to put Esme on the phone to arrange shipment of her things to France. I left about a month later. I had to get out of there." I took another drag, "As for the others…" I shrugged. "I've been gone for a year and half. Other than the occasional calls with Rose and Emmett, I don't know nothin' except that none of them are here."

I could feel Bella's sympathy. "Wow. Shit Jasper, I'm sorry to hear that. You ok?"

I shrugged again, "Just bidin' my time, Bella."

The door to the bar opened, and her friend/dancing partner's head popped out. "Bella, Sammy's looking for you. We need you back on taps, babe." She looked at me with interest and more than a little lust. "Well hello, handsome." She gave me a little wink and ducked back inside.

Bella dropped her cigarette on the ground, stepping on it with her boot. "Fuck. I gotta get back in there, Jasper. So are you here for a while? In Phoenix, I mean."

I nodded, "Yeah, I suppose I am."

She rattled off a string of numbers, her phone number from the sound of it, followed simply by, "See ya," and then hustled back inside. I caught a glimpse of a butterfly tattoo on her shoulder blade as she went in. Was that a name in inscribed in the wings? It just gets better and better.

I stayed out in the alley for a moment longer, absorbing what just took place. When I opened the door, Peter was leaning against the opposite wall in the hallway, shit-eating grin in full effect.

"Well fuck me if you didn't just score some digits. And from your chickenshit brother's ex, no less! What a dumb fucker. Can you imagine what ol' Eddy boy would say if he got a glimpse of that fine piece of ass now? MmmMMM! Finger-lickin' goo-" I interrupted him with a growl. He looked at me, not at all surprised by my response. But then, when is he surprised? Thinks he's Yoda or some shit. But then again, why did his words trigger such a response from me?

"C'mon," he said, slapping me on the back. "Let's get out of here, we've fucked up her night enough tonight." Charlotte joined us and as we passed through the bar, I took one last look at the counter where she and another girl were flipping bottles in time to '_Nothing But a Good Time_', shaking their asses while they worked and not spilling a drop. She caught my eye, giving me a wink and a quick nod before turning her focus back on her performance.


	4. Chapter 4

SM owns, I corrupt.

**Bella**

I sat at the table counting through my tips. $180, not a bad night, considering, oh, I just came face to face with part of the nightmare I've spent nearly the last four years trying to forget. When I headed for Phoenix, the likelihood of running into more vampires seemed pretty fucking low. Not that that was at the forefront of my mind at the time.

"How'd ya do Bells?" Lara asked, stuffing her own wad of bills into her purse.

"Did alright, not my best night, but can't complain. Whatevs. You ready to go?"

Lara grabbed her hoodie from a hook hanging near the walk-in fridge. "Yup, let's roll, bitch."

I grabbed and pinched her cheek, placing a wet kiss on the spot where my fingers just pinched.

We climbed into Lara's Jetta. She started it and Lady Gaga's beats started pulsing through the car. Lara turned down the volume and glanced quickly at me while backing out of the parking slot.

"So spill it B, what's up with the fuckin' hot piece you were bullshitting with in the alley? New hook-up?"

"Definitely not a hook-up Lara, just an old friend from an old life."

"Old boyfriend?" Lara looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"Nooo. Fuck no." Pause. How much do I want to get into this? Fuck it. "I used to date his brother."

"Ooh, his brother huh? Did this brother also look like hot fuck on two legs?" She raised an eyebrow, fully intrigued.

I snorted. "You could say that. Not that we ever got that far."

"Pity."

"Ehh, he had the whole puritan morality thing going on; it didn't matter to him I was ready to pass him the poon on a platter." Fucking prude coward bastard.

"And what about big brother? Does he share his brother's high moral standards?"

"Heh. Not likely, not that it matters any fuckin' way." I tapped a smoke out of the pack and lit it. "Like I said, old life."

Lara sighed and shook her head. "I don't know B. That might be a part of your past worth tapping… back into, that is." She giggled and ran her tongue seductively across her teeth.

I took a long hot shower after we arrived home, thinking as I soaped up about the arms that had held me briefly tonight. It had been years since I'd felt that sensation, the strange comfort to be had from granite arms. What the fuck was I thinking giving him my number? Like we're gonna fucking have beers and talk shit about the good old days, like the time Edward left me alone in the woods after doing the Mexican hat dance on the heart he'd just ripped out of me? Yeah, that was a riot. Or the four months afterward which I spent nearly catatonic? Good times, good times. Imagine what Jake would- I stopped that train of thought right the fuck there. My traitor hand absentmindedly landed on my abdomen.

While I'd quit trying to numb the pain with whatever liquid, chemical, or genitalia that landed in front of me, I did my best to avoid thinking about the root cause of my pain. The one reminder I allowed myself is the butterfly tattoo on my shoulder blade. Woven into the design of its wings was a name. Tyler. My baby boy.

I fished through my medicine cabinet, finding a small pressed tablet that I was going to need if I wanted to sleep at all tonight, washing it down with a swig of beer. I opened my drawer, pulled out a tank top and pair of boy short panties to sleep in, and caught a glimpse of a picture I'd printed a couple months ago. Jake didn't know where I lived, but he kept in contact by email, emailing me pictures of our, no, _his_ son's growth and progress, as well as the occasional picture. I always responded to the emails with the same two words: Thank you.

As much as it hurt, I appreciated Jake's attempts to keep Tyler at least a small part of my world. It seemed as though Lexi, Jake's imprint and, most recently, fiancée, was a good mother to Tyler, treating him as her own, which is all I could've hoped for. Jake imprinted on Lexi when I was about 5 months pregnant, about 3 months after Charlie died.

I choked up a little when my thoughts turned to my dad, and his tragic passing. If I hadn't been pregnant at the time, after everything else I'd been through, well, I probably would have been kickin' it with Charlie in the Afterlife probably soon thereafter. He'd been on a routine traffic stop on the highway, handing a speeding motorist a ticket, when a drunk driver swerved into the stopped car, crushing my dad in the middle. He died instantly.

Two weeks later, I learned I was pregnant which, for a time, pulled me out of the abyss. My relationship with Jake was still fairly new, and we were both so young, but I was sure that we could make a go of it. I knew how much he loved me and I'd grown to love him in return. We had begun dating in the spring following Edward's departure, celebrated my acceptance to U-Dub in April, and he was there cheering for me when I graduated high school that June. I lost my father not 6 weeks later. I was devastated, but Jake, and the thought of our family we would soon have, kept my shit together. Then came Halloween. We'd had a good laugh over my idea to wear an orange t-shirt with a Jack o' Lantern face over my now-obvious baby bump. We went to a party at Sam and Emily's place and were having a great time when I noticed Jake looking toward the doorway, all slack-jawed and dreamy. What the fuck? Jared walked over and greeted the female at the door, who turned out to be his cousin he invited up from Grays Harbor. The girl, Lexi, was staring back at Jake, as if she knew.

"Jake?" I asked him, gently putting my hand on his arm. He slowly turned and looked down at me, his face going from bliss to pain. And that's when I knew what had happened. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

I couldn't answer. I couldn't move. I just stood there with tears streaming down my cheeks, not hearing anything after that, and vaguely remember Leah gently leading me outside to her car and driving me home. She stayed with me that night, holding me and letting me cry until there were no tears left in me to cry.

To suffer that kind of heartbreak – again – after planning to spend the rest of my life with Jake, be a family, was, for lack of a better word, fucked up. It was the thought of keeping my baby boy safe and healthy that saw me through the rest of my pregnancy. Well, that and the fact that Leah became my rock during that time, having been on the shitty side of an imprint scenario herself. She understood. She stayed with me for the duration of my pregnancy, for which I'll be eternally grateful. I was in no shape to be alone.

During that time, I thought long and hard about the life my little boy had ahead of him. Knowing it was very likely he carried the wolf gene that his father carried, I decided it would be in his best interest to be raised by his father and Lexi in a loving home, and not by a mother who was barely keeping a hold on her sanity. Sanity which surely would've snapped, having to see Jake and his soul mate looking at each other all googly-eyed in love everyday. On the day Tyler was born, I spent the entire day holding him and staring in his eyes, kissing his forehead and memorizing his scent. The next day, shortly before I checked out of the hospital, I signed away my parental rights to Jake, and he and Lexi took their baby boy home. I left town the day after that.

I'd sold Charlie's house not long before giving birth and gave up most of the furnishings to the guys in the pack who wanted it. I loaded up what few belongings I retained into the 4-door Jeep I'd purchased for myself with some of the life insurance money I'd received, and headed to Phoenix. My mother wasn't there, she was living with Phil in Jacksonville, but Phoenix was familiar enough for me to venture there on my own to start my new life. With said insurance money and Charlie's pension, I was able to lease a small but nice apartment right away.

I don't have much recollection of the first few weeks I lived there. I was back in the fog, much like the one that overtook me when Edward left. This time, I had no personal sun to keep it at bay. One day, while checking my mail, I met a petite girl with long blonde hair, green eyes, freckles on her nose, and a girl-next-door smile, who introduced herself as Lara. She and her boyfriend Danny lived on the floor above mine. I couldn't help but warm to her personality, even if I was well past give-a-fuck. It felt nice to smile again and I knew I could use a friend.

Two weeks later Lara and Danny had a party. After some cajoling on her part, I agreed to go. At that party I made acquaintance with Jose Cuervo, who in turn helped me become acquainted with Danny's boy Troy, who spent a good part of the night helping me forget about Jake for a while. Hell, he made me forget my own name for a while. God bless Troy. But then Troy became Nate, followed by Griffin, followed by Javier, followed by Monty, followed by Liz (yeah, learned a few new tricks on that particular binge, thanks to that babe), followed by who the fuck knows because I stopped keeping track. Besides the sex, there was the booze, the pills, the smoke, and occasionally, the lines. On and on my shame spiral continued and I couldn't bring myself to care. Binges of any combination of the above vices were often preceded by checking my email. For example, my first experience with Ecstasy, and a woman (sweet Liz), happened when I received news that Jake and Lexi were engaged.

When Tyler turned one year old, I received a picture of my caramel-skinned boy with large chocolate eyes, sporting a wide grin, and his face and slightly wavy black hair were covered in frosting. I ordered a pizza, and then stared at the picture for 20 minutes while I waited for it to arrive. When it did, I grabbed a nearly full half-gallon bottle of Jose and took the pizza up to Lara and Danny's place. Not much of the pizza got eaten, but much of the tequila was drunk. I got to know Danny and Lara a little too well that night; my first threesome. Danny wasn't a bad lay at all, but Lara? She and I connected on a whole new level; she was a freak like me, and Danny got a good show out of the deal.

It became a little awkward after that night, but only between me and Danny. When he and Lara broke up a month later, she moved in with me, but it wasn't like "that". Sure, she and I have had some fun now and then, especially when Jose decided it was time to play, but what it came down to was that she was my best friend and exactly what I needed to get my shit together.

Lara had been working at the Junction for some time and one day let me know when a server position had opened. I wasn't too worried about slinging drinks, other than slinging them onto someone, but I was worried about the dancing part of the job. After some lessons with Lara, I caught on to the job pretty fast with minimal acts of random clumsiness.

My eyes began to feel droopy. I could feel the muscle-relaxer taking effect, so I crawled under my covers and turned off my lamp. As I drowsed, I wondered if he would call, and then I wondered why I cared. As my eyes shut, I heard my phone buzz on my nightstand. I picked it up, seeing I'd received a text: _"Good seeing u 2nite. Hope 2 see u again soon, sleep well darlin. -JW"_

JW? I didn't recognize the number but I had a hunch it was from Jasper. What the fuck does W stand for? As I pondered, sleep finally claimed me


	5. Chapter 5

SM's idea first. I kinda like mine better though.

**Jasper**

Well, that was certainly interesting. Peter kept meeting my eyes in his rearview mirror during the drive back to their house, though amazingly he kept his mouth shut. I was really having trouble comprehending that amazingly sexy creature back at the bar was Bella Swan. What the hell had happened in so few years to bring about such a change? Then again, I guess I knew just how much could change in such a short amount of time.

We arrived at the house, where Peter and Char quickly wished me a good night and retired to their room for their usual midnight activities. I went to my room and turned the news on, turning it up in a failed attempt to drown out some of their noise. Those two could give Rose and Emmett a run for their money.

I tried to focus on the current events of the world that some gal on evening news was yammering on about, but my mind kept wandering to Bella. Although she wasn't beside herself with excitement to see me, she wasn't afraid either. Considering the last time we saw each other I tried to eat her, it was a little surprising that she held no fear or animosity; well, animosity toward me anyway. Something tells me if she ever were to run into Edward, she'd greet him with a swift uppercut to his ball-sack. Might break her hand in the process, but I wouldn't put it past her to try.

I couldn't argue the stupid emo bastard didn't have it coming; we all knew that leaving like that would destroy her. It was a little odd to me at the time that Alice didn't fight it too hard; her eyes did that glaze-over thing and while she did seem regretful, she agreed with Edward that it would be for the best. Of course, eight months later she was headed to Paris for fashion week. At the time I was relieved she didn't insist on me accompanying her for the show, which was a first. The fourth day she was gone, I got the call.

"_Hey Jazz." She sounded happy, but cautious at the same time. I wondered how much money she'd spent, chuckling to myself._

"_Hi Ali, are you havin' fun at the show?"_

"_It's been great Jazz, lots of great stuff coming out next season." She paused. "Jazz, we need to talk." _

_Uh oh. "What's the matter darlin', did you drain the bank account?"_

_She sighed. "No Jazz. I, um, well I met someone." If I had a heart, it would've stopped._

"_What do you mean you met someone?" It couldn't mean what I thought it could mean._

"_His name is Sebastien. I met him at the show. Jazz, I'm not coming home." I couldn't speak. _"_I'm sorry, Jazz. I know this hurts, believe me it's hurting me too. But I saw this some time ago, and know that I need to do this. I've never felt this way for anyone before; he's my true mate. I've always known we weren't each other's true mates, and if you think about it, I think deep down you've known it too." _

"_Actually Alice, all I know deep down is that I've loved you with everything I have in me, and that it's mighty fucked up that you're just now sharing the news with me that this has only been a temporary thing!"_

"_Trust me, Jasper; you're going to connect with your true mate some day. Sooner than you may think." Thanks for the words of comfort, Mistress Cleo. Fuck!_

"_Well isn't that just fucking dandy? So this is it then? Have a good life Jasper? You can fucking go to hell, Alice."_

"_I'm sorry Jasper. I hope, no I know, some day you will forgive me. Could you please put Esme on? I need her to ship my things here." Esme appeared at my side, a look of grief and pity on her face, and silently reached for the phone, which I handed to her._

I hid in my room for a few weeks following that conversation. Carlisle and Esme were split between their own sorrow at the fact their sprite of a daughter wasn't returning, and pity for me that I'd lost my mate. Emmett and Rosalie were sad too, but I could tell Rosalie was more pissed at how it all went down. She and I really were close like the twins we often pretended to be. On top of my own anger and grief, it became more than I could stand and I finally bailed. I didn't burn any bridges, because they really were a family to me, but I couldn't promise when I'd be back. I felt bad for causing more hurt to Carlisle and Esme, having now lost three of their children in less than a year (Edward had yet to return from wherever the fuck he was hiding with his miserable self).

With no conscious destination in mind, I drove southwest until I ended up in Sante Fe at Peter and Char's door. As I reached the porch, the door opened and there stood Peter, with a smirk on his face. "Fuck that bitch, Jazz. You can stay as long as you like." Well, at least I didn't have to get in to all the gory details. Bastard always seems to know everything when shit's going down.

The following months were somewhat of a blur. I went through a varying range of emotions, hurt, despair, anger, doubt, sorrow, and at times, really fucking pissed. A time or two, Peter sent me off to hunt just to get me out of the house for a day or two because they were tired of the mood swings my unintended projection was causing.

The move to Phoenix, according to Peter, was "just the change of scenery you need, brother of mine. It's time for you to pull your head out of your ass and realize Pixie Bitch did you a favor." I wasn't so sure I was ready to send her a thank you note for her favors, but I couldn't find a reason to stay in Sante Fe necessarily. Off to Phoenix we went. I had to admit it; I'm liking the change of scenery.

Ah, Bella. What a peach she turned out to be. She's nothing like the girl she was back in Forks. She was always a pretty girl, though it was obvious she didn't believe that about herself, but her body had since matured and turned into something magnificent. Certain feelings began to stir in me as I thought about her dancing on that bar, the motions her body made, how she could casually caress her co-worker friend's curves and have the same done to her in return. She used to be so easily embarrassed, the confidence she now held seemed to just add to her sexiness. And that outfit she was wearing; well the old Bella would've blushed five shades of red at the suggestion of wearing such a thing. I'd bet those moccasin boots that laced all the way up to those creamy thighs, would look mighty fine with one on each side of my hips.

Huh. Should I feel bad for feeling that way about my brother's former love? I wasn't positive, but it was likely that wherever he was, Edward was probably still pining away for her. I knew he loved her then, but he really was a dumbass for leaving her. He intended for her to move on, and by the looks of her, not to mention the choice words she used to describe him earlier in the evening, she had done just that.

Sorry Eddie boy, but I'm gonna have to call "finders keepers" on this particular situation.

I picked up my cell phone and entered the numbers she'd rattled off to me earlier. Banking on the likelihood it was a cell number, I sent a brief text to her phone. She didn't respond, but seeing that it was nearly 3 a.m., she was probably sleeping.

Just then my phone rang. My hopes jumped, until I recognized the number on the screen to be Emmett's.

"Hey Em, what's up?"

"Jasper! You don't sound suicidal, what's going on buddy?" Geez, I hadn't been that bad, had I?

"Oh not too much. Same ol' same ol' for the most part." I wasn't sure if I was ready to let that cat out of the bag just yet. Emmett would be on the first flight out, as much as he'd missed his 'baby sis'. Leaving her had really been tough on him.

"Bullshit, don't try nonchalant with me bro. Who is she?" We really don't give the big oaf enough credit, intuitive bastard.

"Emmett, I'm sure I have no fucking clue what you are talking about. Is there a reason why you called?"

"Right. Rose and I are down in South America. Have you ever tried anaconda Jazz? They're almost as fun as bear, pretty tasty too. Anyway, we thought we'd swing by Phoenix for a few days on our way home; are you up for some company?" He sounded so hopeful. I hadn't seen either of them since I left Connecticut, and I realized then how much I missed my brother and sister.

"You know Em," I started, when I heard Rosalie cut in in the background.

"Tell him he doesn't have a choice, we're coming."

I chuckled. "Actually Emmett, and _Rose_, I think I am up for some company. I'll have to clear it with Peter and Char, but I'm sure they won't mind. When do you think you'll get here?"

We said our goodbyes after confirming the plan that they would be staying in Rio for a few days, and then would fly out from there, arriving in Phoenix next Friday. That gave me about a week to prep Bella for their arrival.

I felt a little anxious, wondering if she would even be talking to me in a week's time. Why would she welcome the people who hurt her so badly not that long ago? And more significantly, why would she want to waste her time with the one individual who was ultimately responsible for that abandonment?

There was a tap at my door. Peter walked in. "You do realize she doesn't blame you, right?"

I looked at him, one eyebrow crooked. "Are you sure you're not a mind reader?"

He chuckled, "No, I just know shit, remember? Besides, I could feel the guilt you were projecting just now clear to the other side of the house. Fucking cut it out, by the way."

"Sorry," I grimaced. "Seeing Bella threw me for a loop, I guess. I'm not sure what to make of it just yet."

He sat down in a chair next to my bed. "Well that's for you to figure out." Oh sure, now he gets cryptic. "But think about it, you know she wasn't afraid of you or angry with you right? I'm betting she was even a little happy to see you, even if she wouldn't admit it at this point in time. She doesn't blame you, and holds no hard feelings toward you. Pretty sure she fucking hates your brother though, ha."

"So what now?" I had to ask, because I had no idea what was going to come of this.

"Just go with it Jazz. You know you're interested. Start slow and see what happens. Don't fuck it up."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Anything else, oh wise one?"

"Yeah. Rose and Emmett are more than welcome to visit, for however long they'd like."

"I think it's just a quick visit, Peter. No one said anything about moving in." Where was he going with this?

He stood up and walked toward my bedroom door. "Trust me, when Emmett finds out Bella's here, they ain't going anywhere any time soon. That big ox loves him some Bella, and I'm willing to bet even Rosie's going to be intrigued by Bella 2.0."

_Aren't we all_, I thought to myself as he headed out the door. I think Bella 2.0 was just the upgrade I've been looking for.


	6. Chapter 6

The characters aren't mine. I added the Awesome though.

**Bella**

It was close to noon when I woke up. The scent of French toast was in the air. Reason #34 why moving Lara in with me was the best idea ever: bitch makes the best French toast. As I sat up to get out of bed, I glanced at my night stand, seeing my cell phone. I remembered the text I'd received right before I fell asleep; most likely it was from Jasper. In the light of a typical sunny Phoenix day, it struck me as incredible that it really was him last night. He and his friends really must not get out much during the day if they're living here. That must suck. I snorted at my lame pun and grabbed the phone.

_J...W?- Good to see u too. I'm working 2nite, stop in and see me, k? –BS_

As I stood up and stretched, my phone buzzed.

_Whitlock. My actual surname. ;-) And u can count on it. –JW_

Aw, that sort of gave me the warm fuzzies. I realized I was actually looking forward to seeing him again. Lara was right; he's definitely easy on the eyes, plus he had a strength, (or was it a presence?) about him that Edward did not have, the kind that commanded respect. I suppressed a shiver and made my way to the kitchen.

Lara was standing in front of the stove, wiggling her ass to whatever nonsense she was listening to on the radio. "What the fuck are you listening to?"

She laughed and started to flip a couple pieces of toast on to a plate sitting next to the stove. "And good morning to you Mary Fucking Sunshine. It's Lil Wayne. Shut up it's a great song." She handed the plate to me.

"Sounds like he's blabbing out of his ass out of a tin can. I guess they'll give anyone a recording contract these days." I kissed her cheek. "Thanks for breakfast."

I sat down at the little breakfast nook in the corner of the kitchen and started smearing whipped cream (the good kind, freshly whipped, not that shit that comes of the plastic tub) on my toast, and topped it with strawberries and a drizzle of Hershey syrup, because that's just how I roll. Lara sat across from me and started to doctor up her own toast. "So Bella," she began.

I paused mid-chew, lifting an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Gawd, don't talk with your mouth full, I don't need to see that." I rolled my eyes at her. "So I was thinking about your mystery man from the alley last night. What's his name again?"

I knew I hadn't told her yet, sneaky whore. "His name is Jasper. And what about him?"

"Jasper? Were his parents fucking Amish or something? Talk about an old-fashioned name."

I choked a little on the bite I was just swallowing. "I don't know, it's his name! What the hell do you care?"

Lara shrugged. "I just wondered if we were going to be seeing him around, is all."

"Why, are you interested?" I took another bite. For some reason, I thought it might just be a problem if she was interested. Shit, was **I** interested?

"Don't worry, princess, he's all yours. As gorgeous as he is, he's not my type. You know I like the dark meat," she grinned. That she did. She claimed that the myth that black men are packing downstairs was no myth at all, thus that was all she dated. Having had a diverse sampling of man-meat myself, I stuck to the other old, wise adage: It's not the size of the dinghy, but the motion of the ocean. Yeah.

I got up to get myself a cup of coffee before I ended up pondering the size of Jasper's dinghy. Oops, too late. "What makes you think I'm interested? He's an old friend. Nothing wrong with reconnecting with one's past, is there?" I poured a cup for Lara.

Lara laughed. "Well, considering that last night you didn't sound so anxious to reconnect, and suddenly this morning you are, tells me you are." I rolled my eyes, handing her the cup.

"You're not worried about your ex are you? Think he'd care if you hooked up with his brother?"

I snorted. "Doubtful, he made it plain when he broke up with me that he couldn't give a shit who I ended up with, as long as it wasn't him. And even if he did, I couldn't give a fuck. He can kiss my-"

"Ok, ok simmer down, B, I was just checking! I think it would be cool if you found someone to be with for a while. Even the sluttiest bitches need someone to love," she smirked at me, and then ducked when I lobbed a piece of strawberry at her.

"Just because your dumb ass is falling in love doesn't mean it's for everybody." Lara had been seeing a guy she'd met at the grocery store, of all places. Ben was a sales rep for a food company, and did not seem at all her type other than meeting her main pre-requisite, but she was falling hard and fast for him. I got a little sad at the thought I may actually end up losing my roomie to this guy.

She grinned, as she often did when the topic of Ben came up. "Aw Bella, don't be raining on my parade now. Is it wrong I want my best girl to be as happy as I am?"

We got up and started to clear the table. "No, it's not wrong. It's just I've experienced that kind of happiness twice, and both times ended rather piss-poor for me. Let's just say I'm not a big fan of Cupid. I don't need him fucking up my life any more than he already did."

Lara put her arms around me and I leaned into her hug. "I'm not giving up on you sweetie. But maybe you should give this Jasper guy a shot, if he's willing. Whether he's Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now, my bet is he's worth the risk of finding out."

I spent the day puttering around the apartment, doing laundry, dusting, scrubbing my shower, pretty much anything to pass the time until it was time to get ready for work. My thoughts weren't far from Jasper all day. Part of me was pissed at myself for even entertaining the thought of getting involved with another vampire in general, even if it was Jasper. The other part of me was curious about the size of Jasper's dinghy. From the way those beat up Levis were fitting him last night, my guess was that he didn't have anything to be ashamed about.

I decided to check my email before getting changed for work. I unconsciously held my breath while I perused my inbox. Spam, spam, Leah – I'll read that later (her emails were touch and go, some didn't affect me at all, and others had me curled in a ball on my bed sobbing for hours), more spam… Facebook? _"Jessica Stanley Newton has added you as a friend on Facebook"_, I read. "Not fucking likely," I muttered, and put the "Ignore" on that bitch straightaway.

I got up from my desk and headed to my closet. Lying to myself that I wasn't putting any special effort into my outfit, I selected a black suede halter top and low-rise shredded denim jeans tucked into a pair of black leather high-heeled cowboy boots. I artfully tousled my hair into a proper "bedhead" look, and then put on a pair of large silver hoop earrings. Some smoky plum shadow for tonight, with the standard two coats of mascara and my trademark glossy pout, and I was good to go. Lara was waiting for me downstairs.

"Mm-hmmm, someone's not trying hard at all," she winked at me. I ignored her, taking in her outfit. She was also wearing shredded denim, paired with a snug flannel shirt, with the sleeves rolled above her elbows, the front unbuttoned to here and tied not much lower than that, revealing her toned abs.

"Yeah, yeah, you look hot too. Let's motor." Lara often drove us to work, with her Jetta being a little easier on gas and all that. Plus she hated my Jeep, thought the ride was too bumpy.

The bar was already packed for the early hour; it was going to be a busy night tonight. We clocked in and got right to work. I tried not to watch the door to see when he'd come in, but I know my focus was definitely off tonight.

"Bella, I'm still waiting on two vodka crans and a Smith & Wesson, what's the hold up?" Phoebe was looking at me impatiently from across the counter.

"Shit! Sorry Phoebe, I don't know what's with me tonight. I'll get those for you right now," I hustled to pour her drinks. The servers get pissed when you fuck up their orders or make the customers wait too long for their drinks, as it directly affects their tips. Having been a server myself, I understood their plight all too well. "Here you go," I placed the glasses on her tray. She gave me a tight smile and strode off with her tray.

I continued filling orders, barely noticing no one had bought a dance yet. Suddenly a one hundred dollar bill was being waved under my nose. Obviously, I spoke (or thought?) too soon. I looked up to see Jasper standing across the bar smirking at me. He was wearing a black button-down cowboy shirt, untucked, and some Levis that had seen better days, though the view was looking fine from this end. He had a black cowboy hat perched on top of his head, the front dipped a bit low over his eyes. Yes, please.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Whitlock. Is there something I can do for you?" I was fully aware that was an open-ended question.

He lifted an eyebrow and looked me up and down. "Well that depends, Ms Swan. See, I was hoping that this," sliding the hundred across to me, "would get you gals to do one of those sexy little dances like y'all did last night. Think that's something you could help me with, darlin'?" Oh, but I am liking that "Darlin'" business.

I smiled at him, grabbed a shot glass, which I quickly filled and shot. Jose, you are indeed a friend of mine. Jasper chuckled, "Well? What's it going to be sugar?" Oh that southern charm is going to be the death of me.

I reached across the bar and grabbed his hat, placing it on my own head, picking up the hundred off the bar and tucking it into the jar with my other hand. His eyes seemed to darken a bit at the gesture. "I think that could be arranged, Mr. Whitlock." I purred at him.

Just then a customer knocked on the bar, "Can I get a drink here sometime this century?" I glanced his way briefly, "Fuck off." I turned back to Jasper. "Just one second."

I clanged the bell, and Pete, the DJ, looked my way. I lifted the hat on my head briefly and winked. He understood. The girls hustled up to the bar, and I gave Pete the nod to start.


	7. Chapter 7

They still aren't my characters.

**Jasper**

I'd driven Peter and Char nuts all day pacing around the house. Goddamn sunshine anyway; there was no way I was going to be able to get out and see Bella until nightfall. When I received her text that afternoon, I thought I was going to burst. Char started to giggle like a school girl; I must've been pushing out "giddy" at that moment. Whoops. I reined it in, and she sighed and told me it was about damn time there were some positive vibes coming out of me. "You are long overdue some happiness, Jasper. I'm excited to see where this leads." Me too, Char, me too.

I went to hunt during the afternoon. My control's been good, but precautionary measures don't hurt. After stuffing myself on two elk and a bobcat, I headed back to the house to get ready.

No longer dressing under Alice's influence, I was free to embrace my inner redneck with my choice of attire. No more of those stupid khaki slacks and cashmere sweaters for me. Edward ate that shit up; I prefer my boots and broken-in jeans. Typically I'd wear a t-shirt, but tonight I was feeling like I should put a little more effort into it, so I grabbed my favorite black western shirt. As an afterthought, I grabbed my Stetson on the way out of my bedroom.

Peter whistled when I entered the living room. "Check out the fuckin' rhinestone cowboy, looks like someone's lookin' to get some tonight."

I flipped him the bird, but couldn't stop the grin on my face. "Don't ruin it, asshole. I'm not even sure why I'm bothering, but something tells me I'll regret it if I don't."

"Damn right you'll regret it. If we gotta feel you moping around this house one more week, I'm beating your ass," Peter shook his fist at me mock-menacingly.

"You look good Jasper. She'll be a fool not to give you a chance," Char assured me. Such a sweet thing; how did she end up with an assclown like Peter?

I leaned in to kiss her on her cheek. "Thanks, Char." I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. "Wish me luck."

"Leave already! Me and Char got plans." Peter waggled his eyebrows.

"Just keep those plans out of my bedroom this time, fucker. I don't need to come home to smell that all over my sheets again." I shut the door behind me and headed to my truck, an F350 Superduty Lariat which, until recently, was my sole source of joy. I loved that truck.

The drive to Bella's bar seemed to take twice as long as it did last night, though it didn't help there was a shit-ton of traffic on the road. I cursed my decision to drive my truck when it came time to find a place to park. Not that it bothered me to have to walk, but damn, I didn't think it would be a mile away from the place. And with all the people out, I had to walk it at human speed.

When I walked in, Bella was hustling behind the bar. The place was packed tonight. More than one patron at the bar was having some not-so-pure feelings toward Bella, a fact that I simultaneously in agreement with and pissed. There was no denying it, she was smokin' hot. That suede top she was wearing was enhancing her finer assets for sure, and her hair looked like she'd just rolled out of my bed. That thought made me smile, which spooked a guy who happened to pass in front of me. He flinched and moved on a little faster. Sorry dude.

I took out my wallet and pulled out a bill as I stepped up to the bar. She had her head bent down, mixing a drink, so I waved the bill under her nose. I was hit with wave of exasperation as she looked up, but then as she recognized me, exasperation gave way to being pleased (to see me I assumed) and, hell yes, there was an undercurrent of lust running there as well. Damn right.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Whitlock. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked, the current of lust running a little stronger. _Mr. Whitlock?_ Oh sweetheart, if you only knew.

"Well that depends, Ms Swan. See, I was hoping that this," I slid the bill across the counter to her, "would get you gals to do one of those sexy little dances like y'all did last night. Think that's something you could help me with, darlin'?" For starters, that is.

She smiled at me, but said nothing as she filled a shot glass with tequila and slammed it back. No salt, no lime, just straight up, and without a trace of a wince. I think I could love this girl.

"Well? What's it going to be sugar?"

She reached across the bar, taking the hat from my head and placing it on her own. My pants suddenly felt a little tight. "I think that could be arranged, Mr. Whitlock." Oh, but I am really liking her calling me that.

Just then some joker rudely asked her when he might get served. I felt like serving him a five finger sandwich at that moment, but she spared him just the briefest glance and replied with a simple "Fuck off." I groaned inwardly. 'Mr. Whitlock' and dirty words in general coming from Bella Swan's mouth had suddenly become my favorite sounds. She turned her full attention back to me, and said "Just one second." Baby, you can have all the time in the world, even longer if you'd like. Wow, was I really going there already? Yeah, I guess I was. I filed that away in my brain for later consideration.

She clanged that godforsaken bell which, to vampire ears, was like eleventy billion decibels, and all the servers came running to join her at the bar. She exchanged a look with the guy running the music, tipping the hat and gave him a nod.

As the opening bars began she gave me a wink. "_Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."_ Fuck. Me.

My eyes were locked on Bella, as she started to sway her hips, then slowly began to dip her knees, swiveling her hips deeper and deeper down, raising one hand up holding my hat onto her head. She looked down, and then looked up from under her eyelashes, locking her eyes with mine. It was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen, and even though she had no way of knowing it, it was no less than the truth. As of that very moment, I, Jasper Whitlock, belonged to Bella Swan. She owned my ass, and it would remain that way for the rest of time. Suddenly I understood what Alice had been getting at in that final conversation. In my mind I thanked her, right then and there, for setting me free. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. _"I told you so. And you're welcome. –A."_

Now that shit right there? Really not gonna miss that, Peter's bad enough.

The lust level around me increased exponentially with every move the ladies made. It was coming from more than one man, or woman for that matter, in Bella's direction. I had to make a conscious effort not to growl and snatch her off the bar and out of their eyesight. As sure as my ass belongs to her, well, hers sure as hell was going to be mine.

Mine.

As the song ended, she looked at me and though she spoke softly, she knew I would hear: "I get off work at 2:30." I gave her a slow nod with a small smile. I stepped back, finding a table off to the side that would give me a great view to watch her for the evening. A woman stepped up to the bar as Bella hopped down. I was away from the bar, but I could hear every word she said.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, you are smokin' baby. I'm so glad I decided to stop in tonight." The lust was pouring off of her toward Bella. I wonder if she knew Bella didn't swing that way? I started to chuckle as Bella gave her a little wink and a smile. "Liz, it's been a while. How have you been?"

"Oh you know, work keeps me busy, I'm never home it seems," she looked at Bella pointedly. "But I'm home tonight. Wanna come over to play later?" Is this woman serious?

Bella gave a sultry little laugh. "Oh Liz, as tempting as that is," It is! I could feel my eyes grow wide. "I'm afraid I already have plans for later, hon." Damn right you do, and Liz ain't invited. This time.

Liz sighed. "Pity. Well, maybe next time then. If you change your mind, you know my number." Liz leaned over across the bar, and to my surprise, softly kissed Bella on the mouth. To my even greater surprise, Bella didn't flinch and received the short, but sensual, kiss with grace. I was shocked, but I was also admittedly a little turned on by the display. What other secrets could my sexy Swan be hiding?

I settled in the chair, toying with the beer I ordered, just watching. Aside from her appearance, it was clear that she had toughened emotionally as well. She didn't take shit from anyone, patrons or co-workers alike. And the dancing? Just watchin' those hips was making my toes curl. _Whoa, calm down Jasper_, I admonished myself, _it's a while 'til quittin' time. Let's try some clinical observation, shall we?_ Might make for some breathing room in these increasingly tight jeans of mine.

So I switched to "observe mode". Though she was often smiling and laughing, there was still a lingering pain behind it all. I was curious as to how life had played out for her after we left Forks. I was sure it hadn't been easy. In many ways, it seemed like she was over it, particularly as far as Edward was concerned. But there was more to it, I could feel it. Something must have happened for her to end up all the way down here, working in a bar. It seemed pretty likely to me that she wasn't in college either, which was a shame. With her brains, there was a lot of potential going to waste.

As last call sounded, I headed for the door, stopping briefly by the bar to tell Bella I'd be waiting outside. There were more open parking spaces closer to the bar, so I decided to move my truck. If things worked out in my favor, she'd be accepting a ride with me, and I didn't want to have to make her walk in those sexy, but most likely rather uncomfortable, high-heel boots.

**Bella**

I bid Phoebe and Travis goodnight and stepped out into the night air to catch up with Jasper while I waited for Lara. She was on the phone with Ben, and from the sounds of it she would be heading to his place after dropping me off at ours.

I looked around and then noticed Jasper across the street. He was leaned against a large black Ford pickup, looking at me with a lazy grin. If there was a Cowboy GQ, well that, folks, would be its cover right there. Hot damn. I made my way across the street, taking the hat off my head to hand to him, shaking out the 'hat-head'.

"Guess I forgot to give you back your hat, didn't I?" I went to put it on his head, but he stopped me, grabbing my wrist. If I didn't believe that shit only happened in fairy tales, I would've sworn an electrical charge just went through my entire being at his touch.

"Oh no, Ms Bella," he drawled as he placed the hat back on my head. "That hat belongs to you now. It would never look as pretty on my head as it does on yours." His eyes held mine for a moment, and it was like I was hypnotized. This was beyond dazzling; this was something deeper, something dirtier. _I liked it_.

"Well thank you, Jasper. So did you have a good time tonight? Sorry I've not been able to talk to you a whole lot, it gets so busy in there."

He ran a hand through his chin-length, dirty-blonde waves. "Well I'm hoping to remedy that, do you have plans for this evening? I realize it's late but…"

Before I could answer, Lara walked up to us. "Hey Bella!" She looked at me, looked at Jasper, and then looked again at me pointedly.

I sighed. "Jasper, this is Lara, my roomie, BFF, best bitch, you get the idea. Lara, this is Jasper."

Jasper bowed slightly, taking Lara's hand and kissed it softly. "Pleasure to meet you Ms Lara." Lara went noticeably weak in the knees, looking over at me wide-eyed and silently mouthed _"Oh my god!"_ I couldn't help but grin and nod back at her, as in, 'I know, right?'

"Likewise," she sighed. Lara regained her composure. "So Bella, I hate to cut this short, but Ben's expecting me in 30 minutes, so if I'm going to be on time, I need to take you home now."

I looked at Jasper apologetically, but he looked as though he had another idea.

"Why don't you go ahead with your plans Ms. Lara, and I will make sure our Bella gets home safely." _Our_ Bella?

Lara looked at me, slightly concerned yet obviously hoping I was okay with this. "Is that okay with you Bella?" Yeah, nice not-so-subtle head nod there Lara. Good thing I'm not in fear for my life with this guy or anything. Hmm. I guess _technically_ I should be. Am I? Nope. Carry on.

"Yeah, it's fine Lara, you and Ben have fun tonight."

"We always do," she leaned in to hug me, and then whispered in my ear, "and if you're smart, you'll follow suit. Can you say fuck hot?" Of course, she was unaware that he heard every word, the silly hoe.

"Beat it, byatch, I'll talk to you tomorrow." I gave her a little shove on her shoulder. Lara grinned at me and hurried off to her car.

Jasper placed his hand at the small of my back, which set off a new batch of tingles, and led me to the passenger side, opened the door, and helped me in.

He walked back around to the driver's side, hopped in, and started the truck. "You doin' alright?" he looked over at me.

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be sitting here," I replied. It was true. I don't do anything that I don't want to do anymore.

He chuckled softly. "I'm just making sure that this is something you can handle."

"Oh Jasper," I looked him straight in the eye. "I can handle this. You should be making sure that you can handle _me_."

He locked into my stare. "Oh, I think I'm up to that challenge, darlin'. Where to?"

**A/N: More to come soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

Just gotta tell you guys it's great to be back. Special thanks to traceybuie who was ready to go all hells-bells Whitlock-style on whoever was trying to steal my story, not realizing it was just lil' ol' me. That kind of loyalty is priceless. And the number of you re-reading for the sheer pleasure of re-reading, and even re-reviewing all these chapters again, it means so, so much. You guys = best readers ever. Much love!

SM is the lucky bitch who thought of these people first; they are belong to her, mkay?

**Bella**

I gave Jasper directions to my house and we set off. We spent most of the drive in silence, other than Jasper singing along softly to whatever was playing on the radio. It was kind of soothing really, although it was possible he was throwing a little something out there to help me out with that. I couldn't help but be a little anxious to see where this was headed, but Lara was right; I would always wonder "what if" if I passed this up.

I kept glancing over to him, checking out his profile. He caught me a few times, his eyes meeting mine, and then crinkling into a smile. I got the feeling he was liking what he saw just as much as I was. Where Edward's beauty was like a model straight out of Abercrombie, Jasper's beauty was much more rugged; masculinity incarnate. Years ago, I'd noticed the faint scars on his neck and arms, much like the crescent scar I had on my own wrist. I'd asked Edward about them and he said it was Jasper's story to tell. It added a hint of danger to his persona, which of course I found to be sexy as hell. I'm done wasting my time with nice boys.

We pulled up to my building and I showed Jasper where he could park.

"Does this mean I can come in?" he asked me with a crooked smile, as he pulled into the parking spot.

"What, did you plan on us hanging out in the truck all night? C'mon let's get inside." I started to open my door, but of course he was already there helping me out. "Thanks." He smiled and placed his hand lightly on my back, letting me take the lead toward my apartment.

Once inside, I kicked my boots off to the side of the entryway. "Make yourself at home, Jazz, I'm going to get comfortable."

He walked over to my and Lara's large framed photo collage in the living room. "Take your time darlin', I ain't goin' anywhere." I wondered if there was more implied with that little statement. I could get used to listening to that drawl.

I went to my room and peeled off my now-sweaty leather clothes, and then decided to grab a quick shower. I threw my hair up in a messy bun and hopped in for a quick soap-down. I contemplated shaving, but decided that tonight was just going to be for talking. I mean, really, this is Jasper. Sure he's single now, but he's also practically family, or at least he used to be. Then again, the way he's been looking at me hasn't exactly been brotherly and I don't think sisters typically think about the size of their brother's dinghy. Ew. I decided then that I was going to do something I hadn't done for a long time: take it slow. For all I knew, once he got a good feel of what a nut-job I've turned into, he probably wouldn't hang around for long.

I dried off and then put on a wife beater and a pair light-weight pajama pants. It wasn't like this was a date or anything, fuck it.

Jasper was still looking at the photos when I returned to the living room, turning as I stepped closer. He looked me up and down, eyes lingering at my chest for a moment. Oh yeah, I did decide to forgo the bra. "Feel better?" he asked with a smile.

"Much. That leather gets as hot as I look in it," I joked. Fuck, I'm an idiot.

He reached over and tugged the lower hem of my tank. "I'd have to say you look hot in just about anything you're wearing, Ms Swan."

Oh mercy, me. Time to play it lighthearted. "Whatever, dude," I punched him lightly in the solid muscle of his arm. "I need something to drink." I headed to the kitchen to grab a beer.

**Jasper**

My eyes were drawn to that cute little backside as she walked into the kitchen, the aroma of freesia, strawberries, and cherry blossoms wafting in her wake. I breathed it in, relishing it and accustoming myself to the scent of her blood. The burn in my throat was noticeable, but certainly not unbearable like it used to be.

"I'd offer you something, but I'm fresh out of O-Negative," she said casually. She really was an amazing creature; any other human would be at extreme unease being in such close proximity to a monster like me. Bella obviously couldn't care less.

I chuckled. "I'm good, but thanks for thinkin' of me, sweetheart." I turned and took another look at the collage on the wall while she retrieved her beverage. It contained numerous pictures of her and Lara, together and separately, along with other random people in various stages of revelry, as well as some candid (and most likely drunken) moments. It was clear they were the best of friends, and by the nature of some of the photos they were rather close. Seeing the captured moments of the good times Bella has had managed to ease a little of the guilt I held over our family abandoning her. My brother's a moron.

"Hey Jazz, let's go out on the patio, it's a nice night and there's a place out here to sit and talk."

I walked through the kitchen and followed her out through the sliding door onto the patio. She sat down in a chair, curling her legs under her, and then pulled a cigarette from her pack. I leaned over to light it for her before I sat in the chair next to her. "Want one?" she offered, handing the pack to me. I accepted, shaking one out of the pack and lighting it.

She exhaled then took a lengthy pull off her beer. We sat in silence for a moment. Before it got awkward, I decided to jump in. "So what've you been up to?" Lame, but hey it's a start.

"I think you pretty much have gotten to witness it in a nutshell, Jasper. I go to work at the bar and shake my tits and ass to get some decent tips. I come home, I go to bed, I get up sometime in the early afternoon, and then I do it all over again." She shrugged and took another sip of her beer.

"No school then, just slinging drinks in a bar? That doesn't exactly sound like you, Bella." She rolled her eyes at me, and I could feel twinges of exasperation and regret.

"Really, Jasper? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the same girl you all ditched back in Forks. Shit happened, as shit always does in my life, so I put on my big-girl panties and dealt with it."

"Do you feel like elaborating on that?" I was beyond curious at this point to find out what events led to the broken, complicated, yet increasingly intoxicating creature sitting in front of me now. I could feel it more than I was able to before; deep down, Bella was still a mess.

Her anger flared. "Well let's see, where should I start? Right after Edward dumped my pathetic ass in the middle of the forest, and the family I'd come to love as my own left town without as much as a kiss my ass, I spent about 3 months more or less mentally checked-out. I couldn't tell you shit about anything that might have happened around me during that time. Then Jacob…" she cringed briefly and took another drag from her cigarette, "Jake was there for me. He picked up some of the pieces. At first he was my friend, my only friend really, but it became something more."

I had to stop her for a second. "About our leaving Bella, we never should've done that. Edward was a fool to suggest it, and we were even bigger fools to blindly go along with it. It was wrong, and I apologize; especially for the, uh, incident that spurred our departure in the first place," I looked away from her eyes, ashamed.

She touched my arm lightly, silent until I met her eyes once again. "Let's get this straight, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. I do not blame you for thinking I was the appetizer at my party. It's what you are, and I'd never hold that shit against you. There's nothing to forgive, got it? And correct me if I'm wrong, you weren't the only one in that room that started jonesing for some Bella blood."

I paused, and then nodded. "I guess you got a point there. Well if you say so, then I guess we can consider us ok on that little issue?" She agreed. Time to move on.

"Uh, so it sounds like you did manage to move on from Edward then?" She snickered, and nodded. "Yeah you could say that. Far as I'm concerned, that son of a bitch can stay gone."

Well, okay then. "So who was Jake, one of our classmates?" I was trying to remember the Jakes that went to the high school in Forks.

"No, you didn't know him. Jacob Black went to school on the Quileute reservation, that's where he lived. Still lives." Oh. The Black family of the Quileute tribe was something I knew quite a bit about, though I'd never met any of them personally. I knew Edward had been rather annoyed by Bella's association with them, and with good reason. Jesus, not only had she resorted to hanging with the werewolves, she'd _dated_ one. Unbe-fucking-lievable.

She had stopped talking, draining the last of her beer. "If we're getting in to this shit, I'm gonna need another one of these." She leaned over and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on the little table, the butterfly tattoo on her shoulder coming in to view. I took a closer look at the wing, and this time I could read the name: "Tyler". She stood and walked into the kitchen.

Who was Tyler, and what did he mean to her to warrant such a permanent tribute on her body? Possessiveness flared within me.

She came back with a tumbler glass in hand, in lieu of the beer. By the smell of it, she'd added a maybe splash of cola to a large glass of bourbon. I cocked an eyebrow at the sight, "This looks serious," I said half-jokingly, though I could tell what was coming wasn't going to be even remotely funny.

"As a fucking heart attack," she replied flippantly. She sipped the drink, sat down and pulled another cigarette from the pack. Silently she offered me the pack; I declined, but leaned over to light hers once again. I could feel the pain and trepidation emanating from her. This was going to be hard. "It hasn't been fucking sunshine and rainbows for me, Jazz. But then I guess it hasn't been all roses for you either, now has it?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly. You know, if you don't feel like gettin' into all this tonight, you don't have to," I said.

She looked at me, resigned. "There's a vibe going on between us; if I can feel it, I'm pretty damn sure you're picking up on something too. I'm not sure what 'this'," gesturing between herself and I, "amounts to yet, maybe something, maybe nothing, friends or what the fuck ever. But if we are going to be spending time together, Jasper, you need to know what you're dealing with, and take your opportunity to put some distance between us if that's what you need to do. I'm not going to hold you to anything; you have no obligations to me."

I sighed, "I told you ain't going anywhere, Bella." I started to reach for her hand but she moved it away, holding it up in a gesture to stop me from getting any closer. I sat back in my chair and waited for her to continue.

"I know you can feel my emotions, and if we do end up hanging out, it's gonna get real old real fast lying to you about what's going on with me, when I have no way of hiding how I'm feeling. I can't have this shit hanging over us, over me. I mean, even with Lara, I had to give her the abridged version when we grew close. She's my best friend, but this is beyond her. She knows I've been through some shit, just not some of the finer details. Obviously, I won't have to sugar coat it for you." Yet another long drag from her cigarette, followed by a generous gulp of her drink.

"Jake and I ended up getting together. He'd had feelings for me for quite some time and I felt I owed him a chance, you know, for holding me together the way he did. I'd loved him as my best friend, but I decided to give it a go to be something more. At first it was great, he treated me good, and shit finally seemed to be looking up. I managed to get accepted to the University of Washington with a fairly sizable scholarship, but of course fate always seems to decide to take a massive dump on my life when it seems to be going too well for me, well, I guess it too just wasn't meant to be." Suddenly, a near-crippling wave of pain surged toward me. I gasped and bent forward a little, my arms wrapping around my sides.

Bella noticed. "Sorry, Jasper. This is the part where it gets ugly. Bear with me, please."

I nodded for her to continue. "Let it out, Bella, I can handle it."

"I hope so," she whispered. She finished her cigarette, stubbing it out and curled back up into her chair, cradling her drink with two hands. "A little over a month after graduation, Charlie was killed on the highway by a drunk driver; took him out while he was filling out a speeding ticket." Her chest hitched for a moment, and the ache in my chest pulsed.

I reached over and placed my hand on her leg. "Bella, darlin', I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved your dad, and he loved you just as much."

She gave me a sad smile and continued. "Jake and the rest of his family and friends were so great about helping organize the funeral service, and get his affairs in order. I was a mess of course. I learned that Charlie had taken out a one hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy, with me being his sole beneficiary. I also received his pension, so that at least took some of the worry off of how I was going to survive. Renee invited me to come live with her and Phil in Jacksonville, but I couldn't do it. I needed Jake."

She drank from the tumbler. That drink was going down rather quickly, and I could tell she was getting buzzed. "A few weeks later, I was feeling pretty crappy, worse than I'd been feeling before and after the funeral. Thought it was a flu I couldn't shake, so I went to the doctor." I went still. Was this going where I thought it was going? "I found out I was nearly 10 weeks pregnant." Holy. Shit. She had a kid? I hadn't seen any signs of a child living in the apartment.

She paused for a moment, gauging my reaction. Deciding I was taking it ok, she carried on. "Through all the chaos I hadn't noticed I'd missed my period, more than once apparently. Jake took the news better than I could've hoped. In fact, he was fucking ecstatic. Even though he was only 17, he seemed so much more mature, you know? I mean, that's kind of the way of those Quileute men tend to be," she paused again, and looked at me meaningfully. I could tell she was wondering if I knew what she was getting at.

"I'm very aware of the nature of the Quileute men, Bella," I quietly responded.

She exhaled a bit in relief, now that it was out in the open. "Are you ok?" she asked. Seriously, with all she'd been through, she was worried about how **I** was handling her tragic tale? Fucking typical Bella. She'd procreated with a werewolf for God's sake. "I'm fine," I assured her, in a tone much calmer than I truly felt.

She nodded. "So we made all these plans about how we were going to be a family. Jake would go to the doctor's appointments with me, and often stayed with me at my house. It felt like any other couple getting ready to have a child. He'd talk to the baby through my belly, feeling the kicks, and I could tell he was going to be a great dad. The day we found out it was going to be a boy, I thought he would just fucking explode. He was so proud. Then a week or so later, on Halloween, we went to a party at Sam- he's the Alpha of the pack- and Emily's house. I was wearing this stupid t-shirt with a jack o' lantern over my belly and we were having a great time. Then Jared's cousin Lexi showed up, and bam!" I actually jumped; what was she, fucking channeling Emeril or something? "Jake imprinted on her. In the blink of an eye, I was replaced. Fucking dismissed."

"Oh Bella," I started, but had nothing to say. What _could_ I say? She'd been abandoned twice. I was speechless.

"Okay so it wasn't like he was harsh about it. He did apologize, but it didn't change anything. She immediately was his whole world and there was nothing I could do about it. Leah took me home and then stayed with me throughout the rest of the pregnancy, made sure I remembered to eat, you know, take care of myself for the baby and all that. Jake still came to the doctor appointments, but Lexi often came with him. She would wait out in the waiting room though, allowing us that bit of privacy for those appointments. It was kind of fucking weird really; we got some good stares from the staff at that clinic. That was good drama for Forks, you know." She gave a quiet bitter chuckle, and then drained her glass.

"By the time I was at about eight months, I'd made the decision to sign custodial rights over to Jake. Trust me Jasper, it was the toughest fucking decision I have ever made in my life, but I think it was the right one. I hope it was the right one. Since it was very likely that the werewolf gene would be passed down to the baby, it only seemed right he remained with his dad and the rest of the tribe, especially once it was clear that Lexi was up to the responsibility of helping raise him. Even though she took my man, it really wasn't her fault; she's a good person with a heart of gold. I tried to hate her, God did I try, but I couldn't do it. She felt bad about the situation and took my anger in stride. I gave up hating on her and got to know her pretty well during those last few months. I knew she would be a good mom to my boy."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, gathering her composure, preparing for the pain. I did likewise, as I could feel it coming.

"They were both in the room for the delivery, Jake was amazingly hands-on through the whole thing, didn't gross out or anything. They each held him for a while, and then they handed him back to me and left for the night, allowing me that time to say my goodbye to him. See, I'd already sold Charlie's house and had plans to leave town as soon as my body was up to for the trip. That was my last in hurrah in Forks, so to speak." She snorted softly. "By the way, just so you know? That childbirth shit fucks you _up_, no lie. I had pain killers and all that, but man my cooch was sore for weeks."

I was startled by her side note of TMI, but then again, her words were definitely slurring. That was an impressive amount of liquid courage she'd knocked back in such a short amount of time.

"Anyway, I spent a greater portion of the night and the next morning just holding him, memorizing his face, and told him how much I loved him, how much his grandpa would have loved him, and that he would always be in my heart.

"When it came time to check-out, Jake and Lexi arrived. We filled out all the necessary paperwork and I signed my name to the document that stated Tyler Charles Black was now in the sole custody of one Jacob Black."

Tyler. Well that solved that mystery. My non-beating heart was breaking for her; the strength Bella possessed was unfathomable.

"I'd spent my final days of my pregnancy tying up any other loose ends, settling my affairs in Forks, so I was ready to get the hell out of dodge as soon as I was discharged. I didn't say goodbye to Jake, Lexi, and Tyler, or anybody else for that matter. I just left, packing what I could into my Jeep, and I ended up in Phoenix. I leased the first apartment I looked at, the very one you're sitting in, and mentally checked-out again for a while. Hell of a defense mechanism, you know? Then I ran into Lara one day, and she helped me pull my head out somewhat. I still went a little nuts; I've done some shit I'm not entirely proud of Jasper, but I came back to life which, to me, is what mattered."

I took her hand. "It seems like Lara's been a very good friend for you, you seem very close."

She got a bit of a wicked smile on her face. "You don't want to know how close we are." I raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe you do, but _I'm_ _not telling_," she sang, and then became serious again. "Look, it may have started out as one thing, but now for the most part, it's strictly platonic. She's my best friend and I was lucky to find her when I did."

She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Jake doesn't know where I live now; I never told him and I don't plan to, but he sends me emails every now and then, telling me about how Tyler is doing and sends pictures. It's hard, but it makes me feel like I still have a little piece of him, you know? Other than this," she gestured toward her shoulder blade. Her eyes were now open, looking upwards, and I could see tears glistening in their chocolate depths. She was trying not to cry.

I stood up, pulling her up with me and put my arms around her, drawing her close. She gave a little sob and put her arms around me, and we just held each other for a spell; no words were necessary. While I was aching over all she'd been through, I was also very proud that she'd overcome so much in such a short amount of time. I also noticed how good she felt in my arms.

She snorted suddenly and pulled away, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Well shit, I'm a fun date aren't I? Fuck, I'm sorry Jasper; I didn't mean to bring you down with all this shit. But you needed to know..." She started to walk back into the kitchen, but I took her hand to stop her.

"Don't be sorry, darlin'. I appreciate you sharing your story with me. I know how hard that was for you, trust me. Furthermore, I'm honored by your trust in me in telling me all of that. You have nothing to be sorry about, and so much to be proud of that you got yourself through it. I honestly don't know how you did." I pulled her in to my arms again and kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent.

"Thanks Jasper," she said starting to yawn. She was exhausted, and I could see that dawn was not too far off, so it was probably best that I headed out before sunrise.

I pulled away a bit and looked down at her, going with the idea as it occurred to me. "Do you work this evening Bella?"

She shook her head and looked up at me, eyes curious. "No, I don't work Sunday nights. Why?"

"Then how about you grab a few hours of shut-eye, and then you give me a call when you wake up? I'd like for you to come meet my friends."

She considered it for a moment. "Do your friends share your 'lifestyle' or…?"

"No, but you have nothing to worry about. Their diet is strictly degenerates and terminals, and you fall in neither category," I assured her. I, however, was wondering just what kind of fuckery Peter would try to start with Bella. Same token, I would bet she could handle anything he threw at her and give it back twofold. It could be fun. Or it could be a nightmare.

She shrugged. "If you say so. Sure, sounds good. I'll call you later." She held my hand as she walked with me through the apartment toward the front door. We both stopped before I opened the door.

"Thanks again for listening, Jasper. I know we weren't too close before, but I feel like you could be good for me. As a friend or whatever," she quickly added. She put her arms up around my neck and hugged me. We'd barely touched either before this evening, yet it now felt so natural.

"Good night Bella," I leaned in and kissed her on her cheek, inhaling her delectable fragrance one more time. "Sleep well, darlin'."

I stepped out and headed toward the parking lot, glancing back to see her watching me, so I winked at her. She responded with a small smile and then closed the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Moving on, y'all ready for some more Peter? Of course you are.

SM owns these people. I turned them into irreverent smartasses.

**Jasper**

After stopping on the way home to hunt, I'd arrived home to find Peter giggling his ass off looking at something on his laptop. God only knew.

"What's so funny?" I asked him, setting my keys in the little bowl in the entryway.

"Lolcats, Jasper," he answered, all chuckles.

"The fuck?" I asked him, not sure if I heard him correctly. Cats?

"It's this website I came across, these cats with fuckin' High-LAR-ious captions on them. Almost makes me wanna get one, if Iwasn't afraid you'd have it for a snack."

"And what exactly would we do with a cat? Assuming one would stick around the place, which it wouldn't," I said, walking over to have look at the screen. Why did the captions have such poor grammar and spelling? Aren't cats supposed to be fairly intelligent creatures? And what would they need a walrus's bucket for? Why does the walrus even have a bucket? I didn't get it.

"Trust me Jasper, you could use a little pussy." Shot that fucker the bird for that one.

"What's the matter Jasper, don't like to play with your food?"

I crossed my arms across my chest and looked back at him.

"Then again, maybe you do," he said. The twinkle in his eye was back. Shit. He sighed. "Well, it's obvious you didn't get any. No matter; so when's she coming by?" He was such a bastard, he really was.

"You seem to know so fuckin' much, what do you think?" If he's going to pull this all-knowing shit, least he could do is throw me a bone.

"Lighten up, do you have to be such a bitch about everything? It'll be fun having Bella around, she's a tough broad. Not much you can throw at that gal that she can't handle. And once you change her? Fucking un-stoppable."

_What?_ "Change her, Peter? Christ, we just reconnected two days ago; don't you think that's rushing things a bit?"

"You tell me Jasper; do you see yourself walking away from her and out of her life?"

I couldn't answer him, even though I knew damn well he was right.

He took my silence as a confirmation of his suspicion and smirked. "That's what I thought. I hate admitting I agree with the Pocket Bitchpire, but she was right on this one, so I'm gonna say it again: don't fuck it up. You need her."

He turned his attention back to his laptop, starting to chuckle again. The guy was a fucking badass on the frontlines of battle, and fucking giggling at pictures of kittens.

I shook my head and walked to my room. Bella had given me a lot to think about, but none of it mattered. It certainly didn't make me think any less of her, quite the opposite really. Wow, Bella was a _mother__**. **_And in a testament to the kind of person she is, she gave away her heart, more or less, so her child would have the best life possible.

She'd lost Edward, lost her father, lost Jacob (though I couldn't feel too terribly about that one), lost her child, and just picked herself up by her bootstraps and carried on. She's tough, selfless, independent, and fucking sexy as hell, and… she gave me something to look forward to again. Peter was right; I needed her. I would take her in any capacity she would allow me to; as her friend and confidante, or if Fate decided to grant us just one favor, as her lover and Mate.

My thoughts were suddenly consumed by what the latter option would entail, envisioning her body entwined with mine, making her my own. I groaned. I needed a distraction. I grabbed one of my thicker, less inaccurate Civil War history books from my bookshelf and lay back on my bed to pass the time until Bella would be calling. Time had never moved so slowly.

After several hours of reading the same page over and over, I put the book away, then grabbed a quick shower and threw on a t-shirt and some jeans. Checking the time, and then my phone to see if I'd missed her call while in the shower, I decided I'd waited long enough, so I sent her a text. And then I sent her another. And then another. What the hell? Did she change her mind? _Oh hell no, not an option, sweetheart._

I grabbed my truck keys and headed for the front door, passing by Peter who apparently had taken to pacing a hole in the carpet himself.

"It's about goddamn time! Wake her fuckin' ass up and get her over here," he growled.

I grinned at him. "Anxious, are we?"

"Fuck man, it's not like you've been throwing off calming vibes in there. Fucking go, already!"

"Please Jasper," Char called from the other room, "I'm really not ready to replace the floors in this place just yet. Go get Bella and hurry back. I can't wait to meet her."

I threw on a long-sleeved hooded jacket and some sunglasses, though they weren't going to help that much in my efforts to be incognito in the bright Arizona sun. "I'm on my way," I said.

Bella's apartment was about a thirty minute drive from our place, but I was going to make it in twenty at the rate I was driving. When she finally called I was only a few minutes away, a fact about which she sounded less than thrilled. Oh well, I thought to myself with a chuckle, flooring the gas.

When I got there, I waited about 15 seconds in my truck before I determined the coast was clear enough for me to run to the door and let myself in.

"Bella?" I heard water running, she must still be in the shower. Not without effort, I restrained myself from investigating that scenario further and settled down on her sofa to wait.

She soon hurried out of her room, toothbrush in mouth, looking fucking incredible in her teeny little khaki shorts and a snug camo tank top. My second-in-command definitely took notice of that. Her hair was piled up in another one of those sloppy buns on her head, small wisps falling down the nape of her neck. The scent of her adrenaline stirred the beast within me for a moment, but I suppressed it, instead reveling in the scent of cherry blossom on top of her natural freesia fragrance. It was a mouth-watering combination, and not necessarily in the bloodlust sense. I wanted to run my tongue over every inch of her skin. "I hope you don't mind I let myself in."

She jumped a mile, her heart stopping briefly before starting to race.

**Bella**

I woke up Sunday afternoon feeling lighter than I had felt in years. I felt a little bad for unloading all my misery on Jasper, what with that emo shit he already has going on, but the effect on me was cathartic. It was as if I'd gone to Confession, confessing all the supernatural stupid freaky shit that had taken place in my life, and Jasper had absolved me of my sins. It was nice to finally be able to talk to someone without the need to censor myself, and get it all out in the open. I also think it was the first time in a very long time that I'd gotten a buzz like that with someone of the opposite sex and it didn't end me in fucking my miseries away. _Baby steps, Bella, baby steps._

I got out of bed and padded into the kitchen. My cell phone was on the counter, the message light blinking. One from Lara:

_Hey B, I'm spending 2day w/Ben. Txt me and let me know ur ok. Did u get some? ;-) ~L_

Oh Lara, you goofy snatch. I replied back:

_Doing good & no I kept my legs closed, write it down. Chillin w/ Jaz later. Tell Ben Hi. ttyl ~B_

Next message was from Jasper:

_Call me when ur up, can't wait to see u. -JW._

Then another from Jasper:

_Damn woman what r u sleeping all day? -J_

And another:

_If I don't hear from u by 3 I'm coming over. –J_

Wow, pushy much? I looked at the clock. Shit, it was already 2:45. I called Jasper.

"Mornin' sunshine," he answered. It sounded like he was driving.

"Hey Jazz. Sorry, I just woke up a little bit ago and just now read your texts. Where are you?" _Please don't be on your way here._

"Well Ms. Swan, I'm going to be pulling up to your apartment in about 10 minutes. Sorry sugar, I couldn't wait any longer." I could clearly envision the lazy grin that was probably on his face right that second.

"Jesus Jazz, where's the fire? I haven't even showered yet!" I grabbed a strawberry Poptart (_damn you Kellogg's, why can't I quit you?_) and headed back toward my room to get ready.

"Get on it woman, I'm almost there," he chuckled.

"Stupid pushy vampires," I muttered. "Well drive slower, I'm getting in the shower now." I hung up, started the water, and shoved nearly half a Poptart in my face. My phone buzzed. Lara.

_Have fun, I want details later! XOXO _

I put my phone on the counter and put my hair back up in a bun again. I hoped my hair didn't stink because I definitely did not have time to wash it now. Fuck! I shoved the other half-piece of Poptart in my mouth and climbed in the shower. After a quick lather and the fastest shaving of legs on record, I was rinsed, dried and smoothing my favorite cherry blossom-scented lotion on my skin. I almost decided against the lotion, but I already knew that the smell of my blood was going to be much more tempting than the smell of my body lotion so I figured it would be the least of my worries. The remaining traces of lotion on my hands I ran through my hair, attempting to freshen it, trying to shake it out and finger comb it into something presentable, then giving up and putting it back up into a messy up-do on my head.

I looked into my bedroom at the clock on my nightstand, 2:56. I threw on a pair of khaki cargo shorts that hit around my upper thighs and a camo tank top, then hastily rubbed on a thin coat of foundation, followed by a quick smear of bronze shadow. A few swishes of mascara and then I loaded my toothbrush with paste, shoving it my mouth and walked out into the living room.

"Hope you don't mind I let myself in."

"GAH!" I jumped about two feet and nearly gagged on my toothbrush. Jasper was seated on the sofa. "What the fuck Jasper! Are you trying to give me a fucking stroke? God dammit!" I clutched my chest, trying to catch my breath.

He laughed, entirely amused at my near-shitting myself. "Sorry darlin' didn't mean to spook ya. It's just not exactly prudent for me to linger outside very long, what with the sunshine and all."

"No shit. So why did you come? I was going to call and get directions for your place, you know. I'm very capable of driving myself to wherever the hell your bat cave is; no sense in putting yourself at risk for me." I scrubbed my teeth as I walked into the kitchen, spit in the sink, and rinsed my toothbrush. Jasper watched my every movement. "Taking notes?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "I came here because, as I said, I got tired of waiting. Peter and Char are rather anxious to meet you as well." His face reflected a cross between confusion and worry. I wondered what that was about.

"He doesn't think you're bringing home take-out, does he?" I walked back toward my room to put my toothbrush away and grab my phone and my flip flops.

Jasper sighed. "No Bella, I already told you. You have nothing to worry about with Peter, in that aspect anyway. His control exceeds mine, regardless of the fact he feeds from humans."

I stopped and studied him for a second. "How is the control issue going Jasper? You seem to be doing pretty well; I don't make you too uncomfortable do I?"

He slowly walked toward me until he was standing less than a foot away and then reached out to pull me closer to him, placing his arms around me in a loose hug. "What do you think?" he asked leaning forward slightly, locking his eyes to mine. Yeah, Edward's 'dazzling' had nothing on whatever the hell Jasper was doing to me with his stare.

"Uh, s-seems to be w-working out pretty well for you there, big guy," I stuttered. I looked away, closing my eyes, trying to regain coherence and resist the urge to pop up on my tiptoes attach my mouth to his. Baby steps.

He straightened up, mouth curled into that lazy grin. "You ready to go, sugar?"

I nodded, feeling like a total nub, and pulled away to slip on my flip flops. Jasper walked around me toward the front door, giving me a light slap on the ass. "Then let's roll, woman!" That mischievous tap caused an eruption of a whole batch of tingles going off in my body. _Holy shit, did that just happen? Please sir, can I have some more?_ I shook my head to clear those thoughts away. Jasper was standing at my now open front door, looking even more amused than before. Well fucking duh, of course he knew exactly how I was feeling about that little exchange now didn't he? Friggin' know-it-all empath.

"You lock up and I'll meet you in the truck. Normally I'd walk you to the truck like a gentleman, but I need to be kinda quick considering the time of day." I nodded, and then he was gone. I locked my door and went to join him in the truck, where he was already starting the motor. He leaned over the center console to open the passenger-side door for me when I reached it.

"Thanks," I said and hopped inside.

We managed to avoid any discussion of last night's conversation, much to my relief, instead opting to bullshit about life in Phoenix. As I'd guessed, Jasper didn't get out much unless it was at night. Once we got just north of Scottsdale, Jasper turned off onto an unmarked road and headed up what was obviously a private drive. A few minutes later we stopped at a gate, where he pressed a few buttons on the keypad, opening the gate. "We like our privacy," he shrugged. Business as usual for vampires, the ones I know anyway.

A couple minutes later we pulled up in front of a large Spanish-style stucco home, with a red tile roof and rounded arches over the doors and windows. I was suddenly nervous; this felt a little like déjà vu and I really hate that shit. Jasper hopped out and hurried to the passenger side to let me out.

"You know you don't need to treat me like some fucking gilded lily, I'm perfectly capable of opening my own damn door," I groused.

Jasper looked a little exasperated. "And my momma raised me with some fuckin' manners. Now take my hand, say thank you, and get out of the damn truck."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "Oh FINE, since you put it all fucking polite like that," I took his hand. "Why thank you, Mistah Whitlock, you're such a gentleman, I do declare!" I batted my eyelashes; worst Scarlet O' Hara impression ever.

He mussed my hair and laughed. "Minx! Let's get inside and see if Peter was successful in destroying the living room floor yet."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind, c'mon in," he opened the door. I stepped inside the foyer.

From what I assumed was the living room, sauntered in a pasty Matthew McConaughey look-alike, with shaggy, wavy, dirty blonde hair, twinkling eyes, and a sexy swagger. _Well, alright alright alright._ I could get used to being surrounded by these fine unnatural specimens. He stopped and stared for a moment, looking me up and down with a smirk, then turned and called over his shoulder, "Char! Dinner's ready!" I heard a giggle from the other room.

Jasper hissed disapprovingly. My jaw dropped. "Are you fucking kidding me?" This guy was all jokes. Awesome.

Peter started busting up, laughing his ass off.

Jasper glared at him, eyes narrowed, looking a little scary but at the same time rather fuckable. Mmm. He glanced at me, eyebrow raised (shit, I forgot about the empath thing again), before turning his eyes back onto Peter. "Just what the fuck are you trying to pull man?"

"Don't be gettin' all uptight Major, just breaking the ice," he stepped up to me, grinning, with his hand out. "Peter Whitlock. I didn't frighten you, now did I sweet thing?"

I heard a low rumble come from Jasper; what's his deal?

I took his hand. "Bella," I smirked. "And not even remotely frightened, so Jasper," I looked over at him, seeing he was watching our interaction carefully, "you can cease doing your Edward impersonation and remove the fucking log pole from your ass."

That just set Peter off again. He put an arm around me and led me through the house. "Oh honey, you and me are gonna get along just fine. C'mon let's go introduce you to Char."

I looked back over my shoulder at Jasper, who was still standing in the same place, wide-eyed and speechless. "You comin' Major?"

His expression changed when I said that, his eyes darkening noticeably. "Oh, Ms. Swan, just _try_ to keep me away," he said with a panty-dampening wicked grin. No really, there was definitely some moisture gathering down south. Fuck dazzling, I'll take the Whitlock Smolder thank you very much.

I turned back to Peter and, knowing Jasper would hear me anyway but that was beside the point, whispered, "Why are we calling him Major, anyway?"

Peter stage-whispered back at me, "Tell ya later. By the way, you smell delicious." He winked at me, waggling his eyebrows. _Well, isn't he a randy one?_

"Peter, I'm fucking warning you," Jasper growled.

I rolled my eyes while Peter just chuckled and gave Jasper the finger as we continued on our way into the kitchen. I had a feeling it was going to be an interesting night.


	10. Chapter 10

I forgot just how much I loved this crew together. They're so much fun!

SM owns the Twilight. I own this fuckery.

**Jasper**

I'm not sure which surprised me more: Bella's easy acceptance of Peter, red eyes and all (I'm not even sure if they even registered with her) and the effortless camaraderie they fell into, or my possessive reactions to Peter's flirtation. His flirtation of course was not a surprise; he's a fucking horndog after all, and Bella's hot. He and Char are a little more liberal in their relationship; Char wouldn't bat an eye if he made a move on Bella. In fact, she'd probably only be miffed if she wasn't invited to join.

As it was, Bella and Char's connection was almost as immediate as it was with her and Peter. Char was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on an enchilada dinner she'd whipped up for Bella. It looked and smelled godawful, but the way Bella went on about it, it must've been pretty tasty.

"Ohmigod Char, if things don't work out with you and this asshole over here, will you fucking marry me? These are the best enchiladas I've ever had," Bella moaned while chewing a massive bite she'd just taken. Char was bursting with pride, having not had an opportunity to cook for anyone in a very long time.

"Well it's nice to know I haven't lost my touch! I'm glad you like them Bella. And while I don't think I'll be tossing Peter aside anytime soon, you can feel free to borrow me any time you'd like," Char said with a laugh. I could tell, though, she wasn't really joking. Bella's beauty wasn't lost on Char either.

"Careful there Char-babe, you may never get rid of me," replied Bella, stuffing another bite in her face.

Char ran a hand through her long blond hair and leaned forward toward Bella across the table. "Bella sugar, I hope we don't. It's been a long time since we've seen our Jasper smile." She looked over at me with a smile of her own, and I knew if I had been able, I would've been sporting one of Bella's trademark blushes. Bella looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

I cleared my throat nervously, as unnecessary as the gesture was. "Aw Char, g'on now," I muttered looking down at the floor.

"What Jasper? It's true," Char chided. I looked at her pointedly so she'd grab a hint to cut it out, but then of course fucking Peter had to throw in his two cents.

"Get over yourself Whitlock, you've been moping for fucking months. I think you know damn well we have Bella to thank in helping you pull your head out of your ass," Peter said, clapping me on the arm. I shoved him not-so-playfully. Are they trying to embarrass me to death?

Bella took a sip of the wine Char had opened to go with her dinner, watching our entire exchange with sheer amusement. Char looked at Bella's nearly empty plate and asked if she'd like a little more. "No," said Bella, "I'd like a lot more. That is some good shit there, wifey." Char stood and kissed Bella on top of her head, then mouthed at me, _"I love her!"_

Bella put away a better part of that bottle of wine while finishing her meal, strangely at ease while three vampires sat around her at the table watching her eat. At one point she did mutter, "It's like feeding time at the zoo for you guys, isn't it?" Peter just awarded her with one of his shit-eating grins, nodding like a fool.

After she'd finished, we all moved into the living room and ended up telling a few stories about our times together; some recent, some in the past, during my pre-Alice days. Bella laughed until tears were streaming from her eyes, every now and then reaching over to touch or hold my hand, sending a charge through me every time she did.

As it neared dark, Peter stood up and stretched his arms above his head, giving Char a wink. "Well Bella, me and Char are gonna run into town and grab a bite; can we bring you back anything?"

For a moment the only sound in the room was my palm hitting my face in utter mortification. Cue the crickets.

I looked over at Bella, whose face was blank, eyes looking glazed over similar to how Alice's would. Shit, she's gonna freak out, I thought. I looked over at Peter, daggers shooting from my eyes, but he was completely ignoring me, with the exception of the middle finger he was now holding up in my direction.

Bella looked down into her now-empty wine glass, and then looked at Peter and replied, "Bring back some more of this wine, it's pretty good." She sat the glass down on the coffee table, stood up, and announced, "I gotta pee. It was nice meeting you two." Once again, this woman had rendered me speechless.

While I stood there gaping, Char gently shoved me out of the way so she could get to Bella, kiss her cheek and give her a hug. "I'm glad you enjoyed the dinner and the wine, I'll stock up some more of that for you. You know you are welcome here anytime, ok sugar?"

Bella smiled and gave her a good squeeze in return. "Thanks, Char-babe."

Peter pulled Bella away from Char, "Back off woman, it's my turn," taking Bella in his arms and dipping her low, sniffing the area of her jugular. "Mmm, delicious; you're making my mouth wah-tah." He placed a kiss on the pulsing vein. Bella giggled. Fucking _giggled_. Her self-preservation was still obviously non-existent. "Char's right Bells, any time day or night, our casa es su casa."

She smiled and placed a quick peck on Peter's cheek. "Aw, thanks Petey. Now get out of here before all the scum of humanity is taken."

Peter laughed and tapped her on the butt as she headed toward the bathroom. He looked over at me. "Close your mouth Jazz, you're catching flies. You two have a lot to talk about, we'll be gone until dawn. Char! Let's roll, woman." And the two headed out the door.

I stood there for a few more moments until I realized Bella hadn't returned yet. The bathroom was now unoccupied so I ventured further down the hall, where I found her standing in my room staring at my wall that was covered with shelves of books. She turned to me as I walked in. "Impressive collection Jasper."

"Help yourself," I offered. I remembered Bella used to be a bit of a bookworm.

She gave me a half-smile, looking a little wistful. "Thanks, maybe I will sometime. I don't read like I used to. I guess I do kind of miss it."

She sighed and walked past me, flopping down on one side of my bed and resting her head on the pillows resting against the headboard. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Comfy there, darlin'?"

"Sure am," she nodded. "I've got a little bit of a wine-buzz going on; it feels good to stretch out." She then patted the unoccupied side next to her and smiled at me.

I shrugged and then chuckling, I walked over to the other side of the bed, sat down, pulled my boots off, then stretched out next to her, mimicking her prone position, staring up at the ceiling. We laid there in silence for a bit, and then I heard her turn her head toward me. "How are you doing Jazz, really?"

I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye. Her eyes were on me, full of curiosity.

"Truthfully Bella, Char had a point. I'm feelin' better than I've felt for a long time."

She gave me a small smile and then turned her head to look back up toward the ceiling. "Jazz, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything Bella," I think I knew what was coming by the sudden case of nerves she was feeling.

"What happened after you guys left?"

I sighed, thinking about how I should go into this. "A couple days after your birthday party, we headed to Alaska. Edward joined us a couple days after that, though he didn't stay long. He was seriously pissed at me, and then everyone else, myself included, was completely miserable about what happened and felt horrible about leaving you. We all missed you so much. He couldn't handle our misery on top of his own so he took off."

Bella sat up a little. "Wait, what? HE was miserable? Why the hell was he miserable, I figured he would've been happy and relieved to finally be away from me."

I looked over at her, confused. "Why would you say that?"

"He made his feelings about me clear when he left," she said bitterly.

"Just what exactly did he say to you before he left?" Something wasn't adding up.

Bella proceeded to tell me of their conversation in the woods behind her house, how he made her believe she wasn't good enough for him, and then how that son of a bitch left her in the woods. His words were worth an ass-kicking alone, leaving her alone in the woods like that… well, he should be glad he was no where in my immediate vicinity at that moment.

I rolled to my side, propped up on my elbow and looked at her, eye-to-eye. "Bella, he's a fuckin' liar. Edward wanted us, me, away so that you could be safe and live a 'normal' human life." She rolled her eyes. "Right, guess that plan didn't work out so well now did it? Regardless, Edward remained madly in love with you; he still was when he left for South America after all of our thoughts of you was too much for him to handle. I guess he finally did return home a month or so after I left, though we haven't spoken. Still pissed I guess."

Her eyes narrowed. "If he should be pissed at anyone, it's himself! He has no one to blame but himself. If he really loved me like he said, like _you_ say, he'd have stayed. We would've found some way to work it out. So, fuck _him_. At least he got part of his wish; I moved on. Now tell me, what's gone on with you?"

"After we reached Alaska, Alice started to grow a little distant with me. She tried to act understanding and forgiving, but the resentment was still there, she couldn't hide that from me. She blamed me for causing her to lose her best friend. A few months later, she decided to attend Fashion Week in Paris. She had a vision not long after making that decision, and I could feel her registering shock, love, hurt, and then resignation. She wouldn't tell me what it was about, but she did tell me that I didn't need to go with her, she wanted to go alone this time. She suggested that I go on a hunting trip with Emmett and Carlisle instead.

"We left the same day she did. She hugged me that morning before we all left; I felt a strange mixture of giddiness, apprehension, guilt, and sorrow. I just figured it was the first time she wasn't dragging me along. She told me she'd call in a few days, to take care of myself, and that she loved me. Thinking back, I now know that last kiss was her kiss good-bye.

"I had a good time hunting with Em and Carlisle, it was the first real fun we'd all had in a while. It was weird not talking to Alice, but in the woods cell reception was pretty bad, so I figured we'd get in touch after I got back. She called the evening we returned home; you already know how that conversation went. I went into complete shock. I couldn't go in my room; I would've destroyed everything in there that she owned. Instead, I sat in my study for a week. Emmett and Rose tried to bring me out of it, but my anger and despair I was projecting would envelop them when they'd come into my room, so they wouldn't stay long. I managed to get out and hunt again after about a week of that, but I went back to my room immediately afterward. Everything reminded me of her and everyone was feeling the loss of her, especially Carlisle and Esme, and they were still reeling over losing you and Edward. Finally I couldn't take it anymore so I packed up a few things and left. I drove until I ended up at Peter and Charlotte's door.

"Over the last few months, I've finally started to feel like myself again, though a miserable version of it. I'm thankful they've put up with me as long as they have. They're like my other family, we go quite a ways back…" I paused, deciding whether or not to continue into my history with them. It's only fair I guess; she'd poured her soul out to me last night, it's only fair I followed suit.

"You should know my story as well, as I do intend to continue spending time with you." I smiled, leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. "Are you sure I'm not boring you?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I want to know how you met them. I can tell that you go farther back with them than the Cullens, and that you're very close. In fact, I've never seen you as relaxed, as at ease, as you are with them. It's really nice to get to see this side of you."

I thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I am," I chuckled. "I'm Peter's sire you know."

Bella's eyes were wide. "Really? You're not fatherly with him…"

I chuckled again. "It's not like that with us. We're more like brothers. He is my brother as far as I'm concerned." I went in to the story of how I met Maria while I was a major serving the Confederate army. Recognition dawned in Bella; she now understood the 'major' reference. I silently acknowledged this with a smile and continued, telling her about the Vampire Wars: Maria's quest to take over the southwest, and how I served as her general in the creation, training, and disposal of newborn vampires in this quest. Peter was one of these newborns; he was different though, and we became quick friends. He later escaped with Char when she was supposed to be destroyed. I told her about how they came back for me a few years later; how they'd explained the way my existence could be outside of that seemingly unending war, and after feeling how they felt, I went with them. "I came across Alice a couple of decades after that, and the rest you pretty much already know."

I had feared that she would be afraid of or disgusted with me, with all the carnage I'd participated in. While she ran a gamut of emotions during my story, these two particular emotions were not among them. I did, however, feel awe, respect, admiration, and maybe a hint of pity. I looked over at her lying next to me to see if her expression proved likewise. What I saw surprised me.

**Bella**

As I listened to Jasper's history, my admiration for him, for his strength to overcome his horrific past, went through the roof. He'd been involved in some serious shit. Who knew Jasper was such a badass? He came off as Mr. Mellow, the Cullen family peacekeeper, but in truth he had massive vamp street cred as the baddest Mo-Fo of the Vampire wars.

He looked over at me and it was like he was having one of those moments similar to how Edward would wait for me to scream and run away after hearing "scary" vampire shit. The look on his face was kind of pitiful really. Did he honestly think I was going to write him off for all that? Not fucking likely.

I sat up next to him onto my knees and turned to face him, then reached out, taking his face in my hands and leaned forward slightly, looking him straight in the eye.

"You hear me now, Major Whitlock. Don't even think for a second I'm going to hold any of that shit against you. Sure, I get it. You were one bad motherfucking vamp warlord back in the day. I'd be willing to bet you still got a lot of badass lurking within you. You are The Shit and I'm in awe of the man you manage to be today, after all the shit you've seen and done. You _rock_ Jazz, and I'm honored to know you."

I was suddenly hit with a wave of what felt like adoration, and in a flash Jasper closed the distance between us, his mouth crashing into mine. I was too shocked to respond, well for maybe half a second, and then I pulled myself even closer to him, sliding my hands from the sides of his face to threading through his hair, grasping the nape of his neck. He leaned back on the bed, pulling me with him, positioning me so that I was straddling him. His hands stroked down my back, then cupped my ass in his palms, kneading the flesh and pressing me into him. A moan escaped from me, which caused him to press me into him harder while thrusting upward. My previous assumption seemed to be correct: this cowboy was definitely packing.

I pulled my face back in a gasp for air and he moved his mouth down my jaw, kissing down my neck, tasting me and caressing my jugular with his tongue before softly sucking on the skin there.

I pulled back a little more. "Hey no hickeys, fucker. I don't need that shit on display at work." Then I covered his mouth with my own again before he could respond. His tongue darted inside my mouth. Tasting. Stroking. Conquering. Ugh, Edward was _so_ full of shit.

I rocked my body on top of his, grinding myself on to him. I heard a low growl coming from him and god_damn_ but that was a sexy sound. I sat up to look at him; his eyes were as black as obsidian. That stopped me for a sec. I wondered if maybe I was pushing things too quickly or too far. "Are you ok?" I asked.

He smirked. "Never been better, darlin', how about you?"

I gave him a smirk of my own. "Like you don't know." I was so hot for him at that second and I knew we were at a crossroads. Well hell, I guess we kinda had just crossed that road from friendship to- what, exactly? Friends with benefits? While typically not opposed to that, this was Jasper we're talking about. He deserved more. _I_ deserved more.

Possibly sensing the conclusion I'd just reached, he scooted me back a little, settling me back on his thighs and sat up, keeping his arms around me. "I think you're right darlin'," he said.

"What, you read minds now?"

He gave me a soft peck on my mouth. "No, but I'm feeling the same way that you're feeling. If we do this now, it could cheapen 'this'. I want our first time to be special. Fuck, that doesn't make me sound like Douche-ward does it?"

I snorted. "No, you've already proven to possess much more sexual prowess than Edward, believe me."

He leaned in and kissed me again, then pulled back, leaning his forehead against mine, and looking deep into my eyes. "Darlin', you ain't seen nothin' yet."


	11. Chapter 11

As much as I love them, they still don't belong to me.

**Bella**

A couple more hours were spent in a fairly intense make-out session, though not taking things any further than we already had. I eventually fell asleep in his arms.

I awoke alone, boo. To the smell of bacon frying. Yay!

I walked into the kitchen to find Char cheffing up a fucking huge spread of grub. "Jeebus wifey, all this trouble for me? Are you trying to turn me into a fatass or something?" I kissed her on the cheek.

"G'mornin' sugar. Did you sleep well?" She gestured for me to take a seat at the table.

"I most certainly did," I said, picking up my phone, having it left it on the table the night before. I sent a quick text to Lara to check in. While I wasn't a stranger to being out all night, I always touched base with her so she wouldn't worry, and vice versa.

"So where's the Major?" I asked as she placed a heaping plateful of food and a cup of coffee in front of me. "Mmm, woman you're spoiling me."

Char leaned in and pecked me on the cheek as she sat down in the chair next to me. "Anything for you, sugar. You're my new boo, don't you know? As for Jasper, well he went for a quick hunt, I believe, although he's back now. He and Peter are talking out on the back deck."

"Ah, the 'morning after' locker room conversation. Doesn't Peter know it doesn't count unless Jazz and I actually have sex?"

Char grinned. "Trust me, honey; Peter will take any opportunity that presents itself to flip Jasper some shit. But in all seriousness," she paused. Sounds like I was going to get the morning-after chat too. I swallowed the bite I was chewing and took a sip of coffee, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't want to freak you out, seeing that you two just got reacquainted and all, but you and Jasper seem to be on to something real special. I meant what I said yesterday about hoping you stick around. You haven't seen how he's been. He was a mess after Alice left him; she really hurt him. While he's come around some in the last few months, the first real signs of life, of honest-to-God happiness, that we've seen from him was two nights ago when he saw you at the bar."

I took another bite of eggs, chewing while I thought this over. "I can appreciate that, Char. We had a pretty lengthy conversation both last night and the night before. Alice really messed with his head, and well, I've had some shit of my own to sort through. I'll get you up to speed some time." She nodded, waiting for me to continue. "We're quite the fucked up pair, no doubt about that. And I'll acknowledge we're a pair; that I can manage. I care about him Char; I just don't know what to expect from this you know? My last go-round with vamps didn't end so well; not that any of my relationships, if you want to call 'em that, following Edward have fared much better." I shoved a half slice of bacon in my mouth. "Char-babe?" She grinned at my speaking with my mouth full. "This breakfast is a raging Win in my book, for real. For someone who doesn't eat, you make some kickass grub."

"Thanks, Bella," she said still smiling. "Expect to be treated right by Jasper. The rest will work itself out."

**Jasper**

When I heard Peter and Char return, I decided to go out for a quick run. After a fantastic night with my sweet n' sassy Bella, I had some things to sort out in my head. On my way out I passed Peter. "Not now," I said to him, before he had a chance to speak. "We'll talk later."

Peter just nodded, "Yep, see ya in a bit."

I set off running into the tree line behind the house, my mind replaying the previous night's events. If anyone had told me five years ago, that I'd fall for a human, let alone have the control to kiss, hold and caress her the way I did, I never would've believed it. Of course Alice was my world at that time, so I wouldn't have even entertained the notion.

What a phenomenal creature Bella was! How Edward had kept his hands to himself while with her was beyond me. The passion I'd felt coming from her was like none I'd ever experienced, and that was just from a little kissing. I could only imagine what it would be like when our love is finally consummated.

Love.

I was kidding myself if I thought this was anything else. It'd only been two days, but it didn't matter. I knew what I felt. Would she be able to love me in return? Edward had damaged her so badly, not to mention her ordeal with Jacob; it was no wonder that she was so hesitant to settle into another relationship, choosing instead to have tawdry flings. I had to suppress a growl at the thought of other men with my girl. Although, I guess there'd been a few women thrown in the mix too. Huh. I was pretty sure I wasn't up to sharing her with them either. Unless I got to watch. I shook my head; no, no, not even then, she was mine, and mine alone.

I had to approach this carefully; I didn't want to rush her, but there was no way I'd let her slip through my fingers now that I had her. And what about Edward? Shit. While I had no way of knowing whether he still carried a torch for her, I'd wager that was still the case. I mean really, how does one get over Bella once you've experienced her? I hoped I never had to find out.

I was submerged in these thoughts when I came back through the trees toward the house. Peter was seated on the back deck waiting for me. Of fucking course.

I stepped onto the deck. "Are you smoking?"

He looked at the cigarette in his hand, looked at me and shrugged, taking a drag. "Yeah, I snagged one from her pack, think she'll mind?" I looked at him, saying nothing. I wouldn't have to, because…

"Yeah, you're right, that bitch adores my ass." I glared at him for his choice of words. "Fuck Jazz, quit being such an uptight prick, my god! Knock that shit off now and fuckin' man up, because she's not gonna put up with that mess. She ain't Edward's Bella anymore; she's Major Jasper Whitlock's Bella now, and she is a feisty bitch. She's been to hell and back, twice, and one doesn't make that journey without bringing out a bit of the demon in you. You two compliment each other more than you realize.

"And for that very purpose, Edward's not going to have any claim to her, not anymore. He ain't gonna take it well, but he'll also realize soon enough that she ain't the same Bella anymore. That girl died when he left her in the woods."

We were quiet for a moment while he let me absorb his words.

"I hope you're right Peter," I finally said quietly. "I won't give her up. I can't give her up, even if it means I never darken a Cullen doorstep again."

Peter stubbed out the cigarette. "Not gonna come to that, so quit worrying about it. Seriously, when did you turn into such a pussy?"

"Fuck you." I got up and walked inside, with Peter close behind. We found Bella and Char seated at the table, laughing with each other about God knows what. I walked over and pulled Bella out of her chair, sat down in it, and pulled her back to sit in my lap.

"'Bout fuckin' time you decided to join us," she said. I nuzzled her neck, kissing her pulse. "Hush now, we had man business to discuss." Peter snorted and I flipped him off.

Bella looked over at Peter, who'd seated himself next to Char. "If he told you he scored last night, he lied, the frigid bastard."

I tickled her as Peter started cracking up. "Me? Frigid? What the fuck ever, Ice Queen!"

She turned around in my lap so that she was straddling me and kissed me full on the mouth, tasting my lips with the tip of her tongue. "Not even remotely accurate, Major. Besides, isn't that term better suited for your sister?"

Oh, yeah. "Um, right, that reminds me. She and Emmett are going to be in town later this week. I know Em would love to see you."

She snorted. "Yeah, I noticed you didn't say _they'd_ love to see me. I know I was never Rosalie's favorite person. I never knew what that bitch's problem was with me; I never fucking did anything but be nice to her. So did you tell them about me being here or something?"

"No, I didn't, because I wanted to see if you were ok with it first. If you're not, then they don't need to know."

"Fuck, ashamed of me already, are ya?" she teased. I frowned.

"I'm kidding. Yeah, I'd like to see Emmett; gotta say I've missed the big lug myself. Rose'll just have to fuckin' deal, won't she?"

"I reckon you're right about that," I said, and kissed her on the tip of her nose, ignoring Peter who once again called me a pussy, too low for Bella's ears. Char snickered.

**Bella**

We spent the afternoon hanging out with Peter and Charlotte, bullshitting and watching movies. As dusk approached, I noticed they had sneaked away at one point. And the way I noticed this was by the sound of thumping and a throaty moan coming from a room down the hall. I looked down at Jasper, who was laying length-ways on the couch, head in my lap and feet propped on the arm. "Seriously?"

He closed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. And they're just getting started."

"Well then I suggest we take that as our cue to get the hell out of here before ol' Petey really starts putting the hurt to her. Take me home, cowboy."

Jasper pulled up in front of my apartment, parking in Lara's usual spot since she was staying with Ben again tonight. "You're staying, right?" I asked him. Oh that fuckin' déjà vu strikes again.

"I'd like that," he drawled, complete with that lazy grin of his. Oy vey, good thing I have a selection of dry panties inside the house.

He walked me up to my door, releasing my hand so I could unlock it. "I think I'm gonna grab a quick shower," I said as I headed toward my room. "My hair feels disgusting."

After giving my hair a good scrub and conditioning, I hopped out of the shower and quickly dressed in a tank top and a pair of yoga capris, and then decided to multi-task, reading my email while combing out my hair. Checking to see if Jazz wasn't getting impatient, I softly called, "You doing ok out there, Jazz? Give me just a few more minutes; I'm checking my email real quick."

"I'm fine, darlin', take your time," he replied from the living room.

I pulled up my email inbox. I saw the one from Leah that I'd passed over yesterday, and now there was one from Jake. It had an attachment.

Chewing on my lip, I opened Leah's first. It was mostly an update of what our mutual friends were up to. Jared and Kim were expecting their second baby, Seth was doing well in college over in Seattle, and Leah had started seeing a new physician's assistant who'd recently started at the hospital in Forks. She'd met him at the diner.

It wasn't so bad until I reached the end. Jake and Lexi had finally gotten married, deciding it was time since he'd graduated from the vocational auto mechanic program he'd enrolled in at the community college. Tyler had served as ring bearer in the ceremony. Leah, knowing more or less the effects that Jake's photo updates had on me, was giving me the heads-up to expect one.

I tapped out a quick reply to her, asking her to pass on my congrats to Jared and Kim, to tell Seth hi for me, and wished her luck with the P.A. I didn't acknowledge any of the part concerning Jake, Lexi, and Tyler, nor would she expect me to.

Clicking "Send", I took a few deep calming breaths before moving on to Jake's message. Part of me wanted to wait and view it without Jasper near, but I really didn't want to resort to my usual means of dealing with the pain. Not now that I had a walking, talking chill-pill in the other room.

_Bells,_

_Well it finally happened, I'm a married man. The wedding wasn't anything big and fancy, but that shouldn't surprise you. Ty did a great job as ring bearer. He was quite the handsome little man in his tux. I've attached a pic. Sue's going to keep an eye on him for a few days so Lexi and I can head down the coast for a quick honeymoon before I start my new job with the Ford dealership in Port Angeles. _

_I hope this note finds you well and that you're taking care of yourself. ~Jake_

Before opening the picture, I sent my reply to Jake, because God knew I wasn't going to be able to do shit afterward.

_Thanks. And congratulations. ~Bella_

Send.

**Jasper**

I was thumbing through one of the silly magazines on Bella's coffee table while I waited for her to finish, the same kind of crap Rose and Alice would read, when it hit me. Soul-crushing pain encompassed me and I heard Bella sob. I reached her room in an instant.

"Bella? What's wrong?" She was seated in front of her laptop, face cradled in her hands. I knelt beside her and turned her slightly, wrapping my arms around her. "Darlin', what is it? Bad news from home?"

She shook her head no and pulled back, grabbing a tissue from a box beside the laptop. "No everything's fine," she sniffled. "Jake and Lexi got married. He sent me a picture of Tyler from the wedding." She shifted the laptop so I could see the picture on the screen. "That's my baby, Jazz," she whispered.

I looked at the picture; it was a small boy with dark olive skin, wearing a grey tux and a cheesy grin. He had short wavy black hair and his mother's eyes. The sound of Bella loudly blowing her nose drew my eyes back to her. "He's beautiful, Bella," I told her softly. He really was.

She sniffed. "Shit you're never going to come back here, are you? Every time you do I end up fucking bawling. I knew I should've waited until I was alone before I looked at it."

I took her chin in my hand, tilting her face so that she was looking at me. "Baby girl, don't apologize. That's a hell of a lot of pain to handle on your own. I can't imagine how you've been managing hurt of that magnitude on your own."

"You don't want to know," she murmured.

"May I?" I asked, not sure if she wanted her emotions manipulated or not, but I hoped she'd allow me to give her some relief. She nodded, and then I dosed her with a wave of peace.

She gave me a small smile in thanks. "You really don't want to know my standard coping mechanism for this. Part of me wants to tell Jake to stop sending these, but I love getting to see Ty's face, no matter how much it hurts." She blew her nose again. "I'm glad you're here Jasper."

I pulled her close to me, kissing the top of her head. "I'm here for as long as you'll have me." She looked up at me, and then leaned forward, touching her mouth to mine. As I deepened the kiss, she responded with an urgency that was nearly heartbreaking. I could feel the hurt and fear pouring out from her, through her kiss. I took it all in, took it away, and pushed love in its place, my love for her. I never wanted her to hurt like that again.

She pulled away from the kiss with a gasp, her eyes wide upon mine, anxiety taking hold. "Holy shit. I know what that was. I _felt_ that. Don't fuck with my head Jazz, I can't take it. Not tonight."

I stroked her cheek. "I wouldn't be so cruel, darlin'. What I'm feeling, it's real. I ain't asking you to reciprocate, I just want you to understand that I'm here, I'm yours, and I don't ever want you feeling-"

"That's just it Jasper. It's been a long time that I've let a man close to me, like that anyway. Don't expect this wall to come down after just two days; I put it there for a reason."

I kissed her softly. "You set the pace. You lead, I'll follow. Just don't shut me out."

She wrapped her arms around me tightly. "Thank you."

We stayed like that for a bit, until I heard her stomach growl. "Why don't you let me rustle up a little somethin' for you, what do you say?"

"Sure, but I'm pretty low on wildlife around here," she deadpanned.

I smirked. "I was thinking more along the lines of soup, Bella."

She gave me a weak smile. I stood up, pulling her up with me and led her out into her living room. She poured a large glass of wine, which she took with her out on the deck along with her pack of cigarettes. I let her be while I warmed the soup. Her emotions were pensive, but not nearly as sorrowful as they were in her room moments ago.

I ladled some soup into a bowl and took it out to her on the deck. "Thanks," she said quietly, then ate in silence. I sat with her, taking one of her cigarettes to pass the time while she ate.

"Between you and Peter, you fuckers better start chipping in for those."

I lit the cigarette. "I'll make Peter buy you a pack tomorrow." She smiled at me and finished her soup while I smoked. Once she was finished, she stood but I was already placing her bowl in the sink.

She wrapped her arms around me from behind and gave a squeeze. "Thanks Jazz. I think I'm going to turn in." She walked back toward her room.

Oh. "Okay, well then, uh, I guess…"

"Get your ass in here, Whitlock."

Yes ma'am.

**Bella**

"Get your ass in here, Whitlock."

He was at my side in an instant. I took his hand and led him to my bed, pulled the covers back and lay down. He stood on one leg removing one boot, then the other, then lay down next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close to him. "You set the pace," he reminded me.

I nodded, stroked his cheek, and then leaned forward to touch my lips to his. If this were any other guy, I would've laughed and straddled him for the ride of his life. But because there was something of importance hanging in the balance of this, my heart, my sanity, my life, this was no laughing matter. I'd twice been to hell with a broken heart; I wasn't too anxious to go for a third. No, I was going to play this carefully.

Jaspers tongue flicked over my bottom lip and I opened, allowing him access. His taste was out of this world. If I could market an ice cream flavor labeled Jasper's Mouth, I would be a fucking billionaire and there would be a lot of chunky fuckers waddling around shoveling it in. It was that good.

He gently pushed me on to my back, leaning over me, his tongue still moving with mine. He threaded one hand under my head, into my hair, holding my face close to his. When I finally broke for air, he placed kisses along my jaw, nuzzling my neck, my pulse, and I could hear him softly murmuring, "My Bella," over and over. He placed open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone, moving his face a little lower until his face was nestled between my breasts. He moved his hand down from my head to caress one mound, kneading the flesh and then moved to place his mouth over its peak, gently pinching and pulling at it through the fabric of my tank. I moaned his name, hearing a low rumble from him in return. Seriously, his sound effects? Fuck. Me.

I had both hands clasped around his head, threading my fingers through his hair, holding him close to me as he changed sides to work the other mound. He sat up a little and parted my legs so he could settle between them, wrapping his hand around each knee and pulling each up along either side of him, and then continued the good deeds he was doing upon my chest. I moaned again and he ground his hips into me, hissing. He moved his lips back up to my neck, moving his hands up underneath my tank top. The ice cold of his fingers had the expected effect on my breasts and his fingers gently pulled and massaged at the peaks until they were nearly throbbing.

I started to move my mouth down his neck, kissing and tasting, at one point I used my teeth and grazed his neck. He thrust his hips roughly against me with another of his rumbling growls. "Playin' with fire darlin'," he growled in my ear. I wrapped my legs around him as he thrust again, making contact with the spot that ached for him the most.

With a gasp, I clasped my hands through his hair again, pulling him back down to kiss me again. His fingers traveled south, under the waistband of my capris, touching the wetness that awaited him. One finger, then two, and I couldn't control my movements, meeting him with each thrust, his thumb working my button with expertise like none I'd ever encountered. My panting turned to moans, and when he felt I was close, he whispered in my ear, "Let it go, darlin'" and pushed a dose of his own intense lust at me. The combination of that with my own and I cried out as the explosions went off within me.

He lay down beside me and pulled me close to him again, giving me soft kisses along my jaw and neck as I came down from my high. "Oh Jasper, Jesus, where have you been all my life?" I panted.

He chuckled, but as I started to reach for the button of his jeans, he stopped me. "No darlin', tonight was about you. I wanted to make you feel good, and I'm pretty confident I succeeded in that, so let's call it good, shall we?"

"What do you mean, you've got to have one hell of an uncomfortable tent pitched in those jeans," I protested. Then I yawned.

"That's what I thought. Sleep now, Bella, I'll get mine another time," he said. He kissed me and pulled the blanket up over me. I was asleep almost immediately.


	12. Chapter 12

SM owns, I corrupt.

**Bella**  
I awoke to Jasper stroking my cheek. It wasn't quite dawn. "Jasper? Ugh, what time is it?"

"Sun'll be up soon darlin', I need to head home. You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I gotta work tonight, so I'm gonna sleep and then get caught up on a few things around here."

"Alright then, I'll talk to you later." He leaned forward and kissed me, but I ignored his attempt to deepen the kiss. "Bella?" he asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Morning breath, Jazz. You don't want to experience this."

He chuckled. "If you say so. I'll see you later, sweetheart." He kissed me on my forehead, and then stood from the bed, picked up his boots and walked out of the bedroom. I fell back asleep.

That evening Jasper came back to the bar, occupying a table near the rear, watching me while I worked. I'd meet his eyes every now and then, and give him a smile. While his sitting there all night watching me should've creeped me out, I really was glad he was there.

After my shift, he drove me home and stayed again, getting the chance to become a little better acquainted with Lara. It was pretty funny to see Lara fall under the 'vampire dazzle' spell, becoming almost slack-jawed when he spoke. Wednesday morning, after he'd left, she asked me how I could even carry on a coherent conversation with him. I smiled, thinking back to a certain twat back in high school who'd asked me something similar about an entirely different vampire.

"He must think I'm a fucking idiot Bella, but wow, he is a _god_! Sooo… how is he?" Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Subtle, that's my Lara.

"Actually Lara, we haven't exactly taken it there yet."

She looked at me dumbfounded. "He's not gay is he?"

"Certainly not," I snorted. "He's... special. I want to take it slow. I don't want to fuck it up."

Lara grinned. "Holy shit, you're falling for him! The mysterious Mr. Whitlock is taming the wild Swan." She looked smug.

"Fuck off," I muttered, trying not to smile but failing miserably.

"I'm happy for you, Bells. I really hope this works out for you, you deserve it."

Wednesday night found Jasper back at the bar, and then back at my place. He rubbed my feet, which were sore from the platform wedge sandals I'd wore all evening. We kissed and held each other as we had the previous night; I knew I was going to be ready soon to take it to the next level. Emotionally ready, that is. My va-jay-jay had already filed a complaint citing cruel and unusual torture, having gotten to experience a sample of the Whitlock Mojo, and wanting more. My toes curled just at the memory. _Soon,_ I thought, consoling my aching nether regions.

Jasper left early again Thursday morning. "See you tonight," he whispered, kissing me softly on my lips.

I cracked open an eye. "Bye, baby," I mumbled, closing my eye but not before seeing that lazy grin. _Le_ _swoon._ I'm falling hard for that fucker.

Later that afternoon, I was working on some laundry when I heard my phone chime, signaling I had a text.

"_E & R got here early. Bringing them tonight, hope that's ok. They still don't know, should be fun. ;-) JW"_

Whee, can't wait.

**Jasper**  
I arrived back at the house and grabbed a shower. As I was leaving my room, I ran into Peter.

"I just buzzed the gate open for Emmett and Rose, they're here."

"Oh shit, they're early; they weren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow." I was suddenly anxious over how this was going to play out.

"Don't worry, I won't mention Bella. You'll find the right way to break that news."

"Thanks, man," I clapped him on the shoulder.

I heard their car pull up and doors slammed. A second later there was a pounding at the door. I moved quickly and threw it open.

"JAZZ!" Emmett boomed, wrapping his arms around me, pounding my back forcefully.

"Hey Em," I chuckled. "I missed you too." He stepped back, grinning, and Rose stepped up to me, smiling. I pulled my sister in for a hug. "You too Rose, it's really great to see you guys." I kept my arm around her and led them inside.

Rose took a step away from me, she and Emmett both taking a good hard look at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, do I pass?"

She smiled again. "Jasper, you look great. We'd been so worried about you. I'm very glad to see that the worst seems to have passed." I could feel the sisterly love she held for me.

Emmett punched me in the shoulder. "Yeah man, you looked like shit last time we saw you." I gave him a shove.

"It seems the beautiful scenery that Phoenix has to offer was just what Jasper needed." I turned and glowered at Peter. Char poked him in the side.

"You guys remember Peter and Char?" The four exchanged pleasantries and we decided to head out to the back deck to catch up.

They shared stories of their recent travels through South America. Emmett had us rolling with laughter when he told of the first time he wrestled an anaconda, how he'd ended up inhaling a lungful of water causing him to have to release the snake so he could choke it out.

As the afternoon passed, I began to grow a little restless. I hadn't talked to Bella all day and she was expecting to see me tonight. My sudden fidgeting didn't go unnoticed.

"What's up bro? You're looking a little tense," Emmett observed.

"It's nothing," I plastered a smile on my face, trying to exude calm.

He grinned. "I know what you need. We need to get you out of the house."

I smiled internally, knowing I hadn't been spending nearly as much time at home as he'd assumed.

Rose grew excited. "Good idea Em! Let's go see what kind of nightlife Phoenix has to offer. What do you say, Jazz?"

Before I could say anything, Peter chimed in. "Well, there _is_ a place downtown that Jasper's been frequenting quite a bit as of late. You should take 'em there, Jasper."

I looked at Peter, narrowing my eyes as he smirked at me, the smug fucker.

"Yeah!" yelled Emmett. "Let's do it!"

Rose agreed. "We should hunt real quick first though, before we go."

I directed them where to go and they said they would be back in a couple hours.

I turned to Peter. "You're an asshole." Char just giggled.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Were you really going to be able stay away from her tonight? I simply gave you the perfect opportunity to re-introduce them to Bella." He grinned at me, thoroughly pleased with himself.

"So are you going to come along?"

"Naw, me and Char have plans," he said. He didn't offer what they were and, frankly, I didn't want to know. "Now, go give your girl a heads-up that you're bringing company tonight. She'll be pissed if you just spring 'em on her."

I nodded, knowing he was absolutely correct in that assumption. I sent her a quick text from my phone, trying to put a positive spin on it and praying she'd be ok with it. In a moment I received her response. _"Ok. See you tonite." _Good enough.

**Bella**  
I'll admit it, I was a little nervous. I shouldn't care what that bitch thought of me now, and for the most part I didn't. I wasn't in the mood for her arrogant bullshit, fucking with the chill vibe me and Jazz had going on. She may have rock hard skin, but I would figure out a way to cut a bitch if she tried to fuck this up for us. Maybe I could borrow Jasper's Zippo without him noticing.

I dressed in my low-rise chocolate-brown leather pants and topped them with a snug-fitting vest in the same material, cut low enough to offer a generous peek of the cleavage, and high enough to show off the abs I'd worked mighty hard to cultivate. The outfit was complete with a leather choker and a chunky sterling silver ring which I placed on my right middle finger. I styled my hair into tousled bed-head waves, made my eyes extra smoky, and swiped on some lip gloss. Finishing with a pair of silver hoops in my ears, I put on my high-heeled boots and walked into the living room where Lara was waiting for me.

"It's about time, we gotta go!" And then she got a look at me, raising an eyebrow. "Is there a reason why you look especially fuckable tonight?"

"Do I look hot?" I asked her. Always good to get a second opinion.

She nodded slowly. "Damn girl."

"Good, that's what I was going for," I said. "Jasper's sister and brother-in-law are in town. She's drop dead gorgeous and a major bitch; I needed to even the playing field a little tonight."

"I'd say you've succeeded. What about the brother-in-law?"

"He's a giant, ruggedly handsome, overstuffed teddy bear. Emmett rocks," I smiled, realizing that I was pretty fucking excited to see him.

"Well at least you'll have two in your corner against her; the bitch doesn't stand a chance. Now let's go."

We clocked in two minutes before our shift started and got right to work. The place filled up quickly and the drinks were flowing. Being busy helped take my mind off the nervousness I was still feeling.

Before I knew it, it was 10:30; I glanced up to look toward the door, wondering where Jasper was, just as he approached the bar. He was dressed in a navy blue button down shirt, sleeves rolled, untucked over another battered pair of jeans and his cowboy boots. My insides went all gooey.

"Hi," I smiled at him, and he returned with a smirk, his eyes looking dark. "Are you ok?" I asked him.

He picked up my hand and kissed it. "Well, Ms. Swan, you and that particular outfit are causing me to use all the restraint I have to not throw you on top of this bar and do very naughty things to you, witnesses be damned. And the emotional consensus in this room is that I'm not alone in that desire, a fact about which I am more than jealous."

I smirked at him. "Well thanks for that image. So where are they?"

"I seated them at my usual table, and then told them I was going to get drinks ordered. I was wondering if you'd mind…" he slid a hundred dollar bill across the bar.

I snickered. "Well that's going to make a hell of a first impression; or I guess it's technically a second impression, isn't it?" I took the money and winked at him.

He puckered his lips in a smooching gesture. "Talk to you in a while," he said, and walked toward his table.

I stuffed the bill in the jar, poured my shot of Cuervo, and then poured one more. "Hey Pete," I called over to the DJ. He looked up. "Hit me up with some Aerosmith." He nodded as I clanged the bell. Showtime.

**Jasper**  
"Wow, Jazz, happenin' place! I'm impressed that you're a regular at a place so crowded with drunken, horny humans." Rose was surveying the place as I joined them at the table. She was drawing a few stares herself.

"Yeah man, there's a ton of hot chicks here too," Emmett said as he looked appreciatively at the little red-headed server who placed a pitcher of beer and three glasses in front of us. She winked at Emmett. "I guess I can see the appeal. Ow!" Rose smacked the back of his head. The server flinched and hurried away.

I grinned. Those two will never change. Just then, I heard the bell clanging at the bar.

"What the hell?" Rose asked, looking toward the bar. "What's that about?"

"You'll see." I said as I sat back, ready to watch the show both up at the bar and right beside me.

The opening bars of _"Sweet Emotion"_ began to play. I chuckled, the irony not lost on me. Bella stepped on top of the bar, joined on either side by the other girls. "Aw, yeah! Now we're talking," Emmett exclaimed in satisfaction. Rose gave him a sharp jab in the side. "Ow, Rose! Shit!"

"Moron," she muttered.

My eyes were glued to Bella. Getting to see the entire view of her outfit, from that sweet little vest to those melted-on pants, brought my second-in-command to full attention, and I gave myself a quick adjust.

I looked over at Rose and Emmett who also were now looking at the sexy specimen gyrating her hips on the middle of the bar. I felt their simultaneous recognition, followed by shock. They gasped, their jaws dropping.

"Holy shit!" "Is that-?" they blurted at the same time.

I chuckled again. "Yep." They both turned to stare at me, wide-eyed, and then turned their attention back toward the bar. Bella had her arms wrapped around Lara, the both of them moving their hips together deliciously. She looked over at our table, making eye contact with me and winked, drawing in her lower lip for a nibble. Mmph.

Emmett and Rose gasped again, tearing their eyes away to gape at me. "Wait a minute. You and Bells? You've been hanging out?" Emmett cried incredulously. I grinned at him, shrugging my shoulders.

Rosalie was speechless, shifting her eyes to get another look at Bella. She still wasn't registering much more than shock. Emmett continued to stare at Bella, emotions fluctuating from shock to glee, and then, as she bent over giving the crowd a view of that ass in those tight leather pants, I felt more than a twinge of lust. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really, Emmett?" Guilt flooded him.

"Wow, I know, right? Little sis got fuckin' hot, Jazz! I mean, she was always rather pretty, but… _wow_."

"Yeah, I know," I agreed. We watched the girls do their thing, Bella and Lara of course were the stars of the show, that much was apparent. When they came together for a fairly chaste kiss toward the end, the crowd went crazy, cheering and catcalling; the lust level in the room quite uncomfortable for me for a minute there. Finally, the song finished and Bella stepped back down behind the bar as the crowd continued to cheer. She was soon swarmed with people waving money for tips and drink orders.

Rose swiveled her head back to me, her eyes narrowed. "What the fuck, Jazz?"

Emmett placed his hand on her arm. "Now, Rosie…"

"Shut up Emmett! Seriously Jasper! Bella? When exactly were you going to tell us?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just now, obviously. I thought it'd be best if you saw for yourselves first; words wouldn't have described _that_," I gestured to the bar, "with any kind of justice. As you can see, Bella's… well, she's different than the girl you guys knew. She's amazing," I finished softly, looking over at my gal who was now glancing nervously in our direction as she filled drinks. I smiled at her and winked and she smiled back. Beautiful.

Rose laughed bitterly. "Oh, _I_ get it now. This just gets better and better. Not only are you spending quality time with our brother's ex, you're fucking in _love_ with her! Are you fucking kidding me?"

"And just what the fuck is it to you if he is, Rosalie?" Bella stepped up to the table, catching the end of Rose's rant.

"BELLS!" Emmett shouted, standing up and pulling her up into a tight hug. She squealed as he lifted her off the ground, and then gasped, smacking him in the shoulder. "Fuck! Can't. Breathe!"

"Whoops, sorry!" He sat her down.

Bella waved off Travis, who'd come to investigate the commotion. "It's cool, Travis." She turned back to Emmett, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. He beamed. "It's great seeing you too."

She turned back to Rose, who had stood up and faced her, arms folded across her chest, looking to intimidate. This time, Bella wasn't having it. "As for you, don't you fucking _dare_ come down on Jasper about this! If he's happy, what the fuck is it to you? It's my understanding he's had quite a few shitty months up until recently. Now that he's feeling better you want to come and shit all over that? Fuck you, Rosalie! You want to have a problem, have it with _me_. Yeah, I know you hate me, I don't fucking care; I'm used to it and I can take it, so bring it on. But get off his fucking back."

Rose's eyes widened slightly at Bella's tirade while Emmett was again staring at her, jaw hanging.

Bella turned to me, touching me on my cheek. "I gotta get back to work; I'll talk to you later." She put both hands on my face and leaned up to kiss me.

I wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing the other hand up her back to thread through her caramel and chestnut locks, drawing her body tight with mine and, dipping her backward slightly, I kissed her quite thoroughly. Pulling back a little, I nuzzled her nose with mine. "I love you," I whispered.

She smiled and caressed my cheek as I released her. She didn't say the words, but the emotions I felt from her told me that she was close to feeling the same way. Very close.

She glanced over at Emmett. "See you later, Emmett," then she flickered her eyes toward Rose, looking her up and down with scorn. "Rosalie." Then she turned and walked back to the bar. And yes I did watch that ass until it was out of sight. I'm pretty sure Emmett did too.

Rose slowly turned and sat back down at the table. Her face was set in a calm mask. Emmett and I watched her; he was a little worried at how Rose was going to react to the dressing down she'd just received from Bella. I was a little anxious myself; that was, until I felt her surprise and anger slowly give way to allow another emotion take hold: respect. I relaxed.


	13. Chapter 13

The Bella/Rosalie reunion continues...

SM owns them, but I made them a little more kickass.

**Jasper**  
Rosalie sat quietly for a moment longer. Finally she spoke. "Huh. Well, that was interesting." She glanced at me. "So how long?" She wasn't angry now, just curious.

I had the decency to look a little sheepish. "A week."

"A week," she repeated. "How can you be so sure..."

I interrupted her. "I've never been more sure about anything in my existence."

"What about Edward?" She asked the million-dollar question.

"What about him?" I asked flippantly.

"Jazz, he still loves her, bro," Emmett said softly.

Fuck, I was afraid of that. "How do you know?" I knew I was being obstinate. Emmett looked at me like the complete idiot that was I being.

"Are you kidding me? Who are we talking about here? He came home only slightly less miserable than he was when he left. Always moping around, hiding in his room, or fuck, playing those fucking melancholy tunes on his piano, I wanted to slit my own wrists if it had been possible! It played a huge part in why we took our trip; we had to get out of there."

I sighed. "Look, I feel bad about Edward, I really do. But his decision to leave her set into motion a fuckin' wicked chain of events in her life as well as in mine. Now considerin' that my events led to me falling in love with her, I'm at peace with it. But she has been through some seriously fucked up, life-altering shit. So cut her some slack, Rose." I finished, looking pointedly at my sister, who looked at me, glanced back at the bar at Bella, then back to me again and nodded with chagrin. "I'll try."

"Thank you."

She looked down at the table, toying with the rim of her beer glass, and suddenly announced, "I'll be right back." She stood from the table, expression unreadable, but her emotions revealed no ill will, so I didn't stop her as she moved toward the bar.

I looked over at Emmett, who just looked back at me, raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

**Bella**  
I'd just downed another shot, setting down my glass as Rosalie approached the bar, tossing back her long blond hair, and adjusting the sheer, off-the shoulder peasant blouse she wore over distressed jeans that hugged her curves, looking every bit like she just stepped out of Maxim magazine. Jaws were dropping as she passed through the crowd. "What?" I asked.

She looked at me, obviously trying hard not to sneer. "Look, I told Jazz I was going to give you a chance, and I will."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, don't expect me to fall all over myself thanking you for deciding not to act like a total bitch."

Her eyes narrowed. "You may have a point, considering you've got role that pretty well covered."

I opened my mouth to let her have it again, when some stupid drunk frat boy Biff-type stepped up beside us. "I was going to give you a hundred bucks to get y'all girls to dance again," he slurred, "but tell ya what; I'll give it to you two to share if you make out for me." I got one of these stupid assholes a week.

Rosalie and I looked at each other and then back at him. "FUCK OFF!" we yelled at him, in stereo.

He glared and stuffed the bill back in his jeans. "Well never mind, ya fuckin' cunts."

I snapped and, before I realized what was happening, my right fist connected with his jaw, knocking him on his ass. Rose gasped.

"Travis!" I yelled. He hustled over, Jasper and Emmett flanking him with murder in their eyes. I held up a hand to them to hold them off. They stopped, taking in the scene. Jasper's eyes locked on my now-tender hand I was shaking off. It'd feel like hell tomorrow, but that fucker had it coming. As filthy as my mouth is, I abhor the c-word and anyone who calls me that stands a chance to lose some teeth.

Travis picked Biff up off the floor. "This guy causing trouble, Bells?" he asked.

"Take this piece of shit out of here," I sneered.

Frat Boy got pissed. "What?" he exclaimed, still rubbing his jaw. I'd nailed him with my ring; a nasty welt was beginning to rise there. Good. "I didn't do anything, that fuckin' bitch hit me!" I saw Jasper stiffen and his eyes turned jet black. Emmett's were nearly as dark and he was flexing his muscles, just waiting for a signal to mop the floor with the guy. It was going to be awesome having my big brother around again.

Travis started to pull Frat Boy away, when the fucker shook him off and rushed the bar. "You want to fight like a man, bitch? Let's do it!" He drew back his fist to hit me. In a flash, before Travis could even move, Rose caught his fist mid-air and twisted it, the bones in his hand and wrist shattering. Frat Boy started screaming in pain. Emmett was on his other side, breathing down his neck and looking every bit the fucking dangerous monster that he was. Jasper was… well I couldn't see Jasper's face because all I could see was the back of his head. In the blink of an eye, he'd placed himself between me and Frat Boy, his posture board stiff and tensed to strike. I could hear him growling. This could end very badly.

I touched his back gently, and said softly, "Jazz, it's ok."

"_It sure as fuck isn't okay, Bella!"_ he hissed. Oh boy.

Travis, who'd stepped up to try to take Frat Boy outside, actually gulped and took a step back. I'd never seen Travis shy away from anything, so I could only imagine what Jasper's face looked like in that instant.

"Jazz," I tried again. "Let Travis take him out of here."

He didn't move. "Please, baby," I whispered, rubbing his back lightly. He relaxed only by a fraction and turned his gaze away from Frat Boy, whose hand was still crumpled in Rose's. He was still screaming and he'd pissed himself. If I wasn't so worried that Jasper was about to rip the bastard's throat out with his teeth any second now, I totally would've been pointing and laughing at that shit.

"Get this fucker out of here before I kill him," Jasper said quietly. Emmett stepped aside to let Travis take him, and Rosalie released his mangled hand. Both were still glaring at him.

Travis took the man's uninjured arm and started to lead him away. He paused and looked back at me. "You ok here?"

I nodded. "Please, just get him the fuck out of here." Before my boyfriend eats him.

Emmett watched Travis take the man away, taking Rosalie's hand. "You ok Bells?" he asked.

I nodded again. "Certainly not the first drunk asshole I've had to deal with, and I'm sure he won't be the last." At my words, Jasper stiffened again, jaw set, staring at the floor.

"How's the hand, Bella?" Rosalie asked. I flexed it, trying not to wince. Jasper hissed under his breath, so I knew I wasn't fooling him. "It's fine."

She smirked. "You got a mean right hook, you know." I smirked back and nodded at her. "Yeah, I do."

Emmett grinned. "Bells is a badass now."

Rosalie looked at the still-very-pissed-off statue of Jasper, and then tugged at Emmett. "Let's give him a minute. Talk to you later, Bella." I nodded and watched them walk away.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye; Lara had stepped behind the bar to cover me while the drama had unfolded. Bitch always had my back. She glanced at me with concern. _"I'm okay,"_ I mouthed at her. She nodded, with her lips in a tight line, and then indicated her head toward Jasper. _"How about him?"_ she mouthed back. I shrugged.

"Gimme a sec, ok?" She nodded again.

I hurriedly stepped around the bar, taking Jasper's hand gently. "Jazz, honey, come with me." He silently followed me out the side door to the alley where we first spoke just one week ago. That was hard to believe, it felt like months had passed.

Facing him, I stepped close to him and slowly wrapped my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I could. After a moment, he relaxed, his arms wrapping even tighter around me.

"You don't know how badly I wanted to rip that bastard apart, Bella," he said quietly.

"I think I do," I murmured into his chest. "Considering you were scaring the shit out of Travis, who isn't scared of anybody, I'm pretty certain you meant business."

He growled. "How _dare_ that piece of shit step up to you like that, and fucking try to hit you?" He pulled away, his expression more fierce, more lethal than I'd ever seen him, his eyes black, frightening. I realized I was looking at Major Whitlock now, the most badass motherfucker the vampire world has ever known. I shivered.

"I'm going to find him, you know," he said in that same eerily calm yet menacing voice. I had no doubt what-so-fucking-ever that he would do just that.

I sensed I needed to tread lightly, not having seen this side of him before. "While I appreciate the sentiment, Jazz, sweetie, I'm gonna ask that you don't, ok? Just let it go."

The way he looked at me told me that was probably not the right thing to say. _"Let it go?_ Negative. Fucking unacceptable. I _won't_ have my mate treated that way. You are to be treated with the utmost respect, and those don't will answer to _me_."

"Your _what_?" I asked, a little taken aback at his choice of words.

His expressions softened a little, realizing his admission but owning it never the less. "My mate. You. You're _mine_. I don't mean to take the decision out of your hands, but that's just the way it is. You're my everything Bella, now and forever, and I'm a jealous, selfish, overprotective son of a bitch. We may as well get that fact of the matter out on the table now. And if any man, creature, what the fuck ever tries to do you harm, it will be the _very_ last thing they do."

I didn't know what to say, so I kissed him. Because, seriously? That was the awesomest, sweetest shit that anyone had ever said to me. And he said _forever_. Like 'forever' forever? I realized that I hoped he meant it. He looked like he meant every fucking word he said. He picked me up, pulling my legs up around his waist, and pressed me up against the alley wall, claiming my mouth and my heart. He moved his mouth down my throat, placing open-mouth kisses along the way. "_Mine,_" he growled.

"Yours," I sighed.

He paused and pulled away a little, his black eyes drilling down into my soul. "Mine." It wasn't a suggestion, it was a goddamn fact and not up for debate. Not that I would debate it; not because he was obviously not in the mood to fuck around, but because he was right.

I met his eyes and nodded. "Yours," I confirmed.

He dipped his head and kissed me again with renewed fervor, and I gripped his wild blond locks tightly in both hands, keeping his face glued to mine. He kissed down my neck, grinding his hips into mine.

"Oh, Jasper" I gasped. Brick by brick, my wall was crumbling.

"I will claim you," he murmured into my neck, grinding into me again. Once again, it wasn't a suggestion. I was being served notice; it was no longer a matter of 'if', it was a matter of 'when'.

"Soon," I promised, and pressed his face up so I could kiss him again. "But not in the alley. That's gross." And then I kissed him some more.

His mouth stopped moving suddenly, and I felt his lips turn up into a smile against my mouth. He set me back down on my feet, his eyes returning to their usual butterscotch color, lips smirking when he saw me wobble a little. Fucker.

"I need to get back to work, Jazz." He nodded. I knew he wouldn't take his eyes from me for the rest of the shift, if not the rest of the night. "You guys should all come to my place tonight."

His eyes smoldered. "I'm pretty sure I want you all to myself tonight, Ms. Swan."

I smirked. "Then we'll tell Emmett and Rosalie to leave." I pushed him back a little so I could open the door. "C'mon, cowboy." I took his hand, but right before we stepped through the door, I stopped and turned, placing a hand on his chest. "Jazz?"

He looked down at me. "Mmm?"

I kicked away a few more bricks. "I love you too."


	14. Chapter 14

A few more chappies for y'all tonight. Thanks for the love and reviews, you guys. You are why I am here.

SM still owns.

**Jasper**  
For the rest of Bella's shift, we sat at a table a little closer to the bar. I didn't want to let Bella out of my sight. I'd finally calmed down to the point where I could carry on a conversation, though my thoughts were consumed with what had just taken place in the alley. She'd talked me down from my rage, something no one other than Alice had been able to do and, truthfully, even Alice was usually a little too afraid to deal with me when I was in that frame of mind. Bella reached through the darkness that was closing in on me and pulled me back to her. She knew just how to talk to me, how to touch me to bring me back to her.

After we'd settled at the new table, Rose went back up to the bar to give her a tip for her and the girls to do another dance, stopping by the DJ to request he play Pink's _"Rock Star"_. She clapped and cheered with the crowd as Bella and the girls danced, and any time Pink sang about starting a fight, Rose would holler, "YEAH!" Even Emmett was surprised at Rose's sudden enthusiasm. I knew, though, that my sister had turned the corner on her stance on Bella. It started when Bella stood up to her, but when she dropped that fucker at the bar, well that sealed the deal. Their bond was made over an ass-kicking.

Once the bar closed, we agreed to go to Bella's apartment as she'd suggested, since Lara had decided to go stay at her boyfriend's place for the evening. To my surprise, Bella chose to ride in the backseat with Rose, giving Emmett the front with me. I watched in the rearview mirror as Bella told Rose about previous yahoos she'd put in check since she'd begun working at the bar. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to contain my resurfacing anger, hearing the kind of grab-ass bullshit she'd had to deal with. It was a damn good thing she wasn't working the floor as a server anymore or she'd be quitting her job tomorrow. As it was, I wondered how soon I'd be able to talk her out of working in that damn bar. It's not like she even had to work at all, since she's with me now; money certainly wasn't an issue for me. We had so much to talk about, we-

I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts by the sound of Emmett rapping along to Kid Rock, "…to my homies in the county in cell block 6!" Apparently he'd plugged his iPod into my truck's Sync system.

"What the fuck are you singing?" Bawita-somethin' or other? Rose and Bella were now head-banging in the back seat, tossing their hair around and singing, "Banga-bang diggy diggy!"

Chuckling and shaking my head at the madness surrounding me, I pulled into Lara's parking spot and parked.

Bella and Rose slid out the back passenger door Emmett opened for them and strutted to her apartment door, shaking their asses and tossing their hair around, still singing that chorus. Bella unlocked the door and threw it open.

"Home sweet home, bitches! Be right back," she announced, and then headed to her room, to change I assumed. Pity, because those leather pants she was wearing were a sight to behold. I ached to follow her in there and lock the door, but I had a feeling it wasn't to be tonight.

Emmett started fiddling with Bella's stereo, turning on some tunes. Boston. Hell yeah, that's more like it.

"Dammit Emmett, turn that shit down, it's nearly 3 a.m.! You're gonna piss off my neighbors!" Bella hissed. She emerged from her room with her hair pulled up in a ponytail, a camouflage tank top (no bra again, yes ma'am), and a tiny pair of sweat shorts. I crossed the room to her in a flash, pulling her into my arms, dropping a hand on each luscious butt cheek and squeezing.

"Major! We have guests!" she exclaimed, laughing. The minx knew exactly the effect she was having on me.

"We can send them away," I growled in her ear, running the tip of my tongue along its delicate shell. She shivered and I could smell her arousal. Unfortunately, so could Rose and Emmett.

"Whoa!" cried Emmett, whipping his head in our direction. Tactful, my brother was. Rose strode toward us, "Alright you two, that will be enough of that shit. Bella and I still have catching up to do."

"We do?" Bella asked as Rose took her hand and tugged her away from me. I had to agree with Bella; this was very un-Rose like behavior, as far as Bella was concerned. I growled at her under my breath, not very happy with her taking my Bella away.

"Oh, stifle it Jazz," she said as she led Bella toward the kitchen.

Bella grinned at me over her shoulder. "Kind of a bossy bitch, isn't she?"

"Who are you calling bossy?"

"You, ya bitch! I need a drink."

I shook my head again, letting them have some time while I joined Emmett on the couch.

**Bella**  
Funny what a joint-effort in kicking a guy's ass can do to bring people together. One punch and Rosalie _"dammit Bella, call me Rose, Rosalie's so uptight"_ Hale was my new bestie. She was actually pretty fucking cool once she dropped the whole Frosty Bitch routine. She was also providing a distraction for me from over-thinking what had taken place between Jazz and me.

I was still reeling over the declarations that were made; the fact he took ownership of me and the fact that I was strangely more than okay with it. We had a lot of shit to discuss, so much had happened so soon, but my brain was fried tonight; I needed to decompress. And tonight I decided that would be accomplished with _mas_ tequila. _Oh, too bad it's so late, I could totally go for some Sammy Hagar!_

Deciding tonight was a celebration of sorts, I fished out my bottle of Patron Silver. No salt or lime required for this, it goes down smooth on its own. I poured some into a short glass, grabbed my smokes, and told Rose to come sit with me.

I sat down and held my glass up to her in a toast: "To punching dumb boys and making them cry," and then took a sip.

She smiled at me as I set down the glass and lit my cig. "May I?" she gestured at the glass. I knew vampires didn't drink that shit. I exhaled and smirked, "Knock yourself out."

She picked up the glass and raised it back to me. "To second chances, and friendships forged in fucking people up," and took a sip. Awesome. That was, until she started hacking and spitting it back out.

"Hey bitch, that's my good shit! Spitting Patron all over my deck. Seriously, party foul."

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't think it think it would affect me that badly. _Blech_. I meant it though."

I squinted at her, cig dangling from my lips. "Aw, Rose, don't go getting all mushy on me now. You're going to ruin your rep as a cut-throat bitch."

She rolled her eyes and nudged my leg with her perfectly manicured red-tipped toe. "Whatever, bitch. I'm trying to be serious here."

I nodded at her. "Proceed."

"I am a bitch. I don't dispute that, and often times I'm rather proud of it. However, I've been an especially rotten one to you, and for that I do want to apologize. I don't like not being the center of attention and I don't like change. You brought about both of these in my world and I resented you for that. I thought Edward was an idiot for getting involved with you, and that you were an idiot to want to throw away your precious life, and all the opportunities it offers, away to be with a guy who seemed intent on suffocating you. Seeing you now, I don't think you would've remained happy with Edward."

I took another sip of Patron. "Maybe, maybe not. Circumstances in my life have molded me into the exquisitely badass bitch seated next to you. I don't know what kind of person I'd be if he had stayed with me."

"Certainly not one as fucking fun as you are. Can I ask what the circumstances are of which you speak?"

I paused, crushing out my cigarette. "Can I give you the abridged version? I don't have it in me tonight to suss out all the details tonight." She nodded.

Twenty-five minutes later, my glass was empty and I was sitting in Rose's lap with my arms around her, stroking her hair as she collected herself. Hearing the story of my time with Jake, my pregnancy, and my decision to give up Tyler, had greatly upset her. She told me her own abridged version of what had happened to her when she was turned, and how the one thing she'd always desired and would never have was to be a mother.

"Oh Bella," she sobbed, "I can't imagine- I just don't- Ugh! I'm so, so sorry."

I leaned down, touching my cheek to hers. "Shh, Rose, it's fine. I'm okay now. Sure it was hard; I still have a hard time, but he's with his father and a mother who loves him as her own, and he's so happy and healthy. It's all I could have hoped for him. He's where he belongs."

"Do you want another child some day?" she asked.

"I've thought about it, but I don't see it happening for me again. Tyler was it. I don't regret it, but I don't think I want to do it again. Besides, if I'm going to be with Jasper, that's not really a feasible idea."

She looked at me. "Are you sure? About you and Jazz, I mean."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Even when Edward and I were together and loved each other, I never felt like we fit. We didn't make sense. Jazz and I make sense. I think I felt it from the first day. Seven whole days ago," I joked.

She was quiet for a moment. "Are you going to let him turn you?"

"He pretty much declared tonight that I'm his for forever. While we haven't had a chance to discuss things further, I'd wager that it's part of the plan. So you probably had better get used to the idea of having my bitchy ass around for a while." I gave her a playful poke in her rock hard chest.

"I'd be honored to call you my sister." Wow. I knew we'd made progress tonight, but this was huge coming from her. I hugged her.

"Thank you Rose."

Just then, the slider door opened and Emmett's head popped out, taking in the scene before him. "Aw, man are you two making out? Why didn't you call me?" Jazz's head popped up over Emmett's, his eyes wide.

"Well we're just getting started Em. Wanna join in?"

I looked at Rose and winked, taking her face in my hands. I bit my lower lip, studying her mouth while she licked her lips. She placed a hand on the back of my head, tilting her own, and we leaned forward toward each other. Jasper and Emmett's eyes grew wide. Right before our lips touched, we both turned our heads to face them. "NOT!"

Emmett groaned in disappointment while Jasper started cracking up. I moved off of Rose's lap and picked up my glass, taking it into the kitchen. "Jeebus Emmett, ya big perv. Like I'm really gonna make out with my sister. Shaw!" I glanced over at Rose and grinned. She looked very pleased with my statement. Emmett muttered something about people toying with his emotions.

I rolled my eyes, and then yawned. I caught the time on the microwave display; it was nearly four in the morning. "Well guys, it's been fun but the human needs her beauty sleep. Help yourself to the TV, the Xbox 360…" Emmett buzzed out of the kitchen.

"'Night Bells!"

I looked at Rose, confused. "He hasn't gotten to play 360 in three months," she explained.

"Ah, well that explains it. Okay, well good night." I looked at Jazz as Rose followed Emmett into the living room. "Tuck me in?"

**Jasper**  
Much like she'd done with Peter and Charlotte, Bella had finally won over my sister. Once her staunchest opposition, hell that was the case not 6 hours ago, and now they were calling each other sisters. Amazing.

Emmett got me up to speed on the family while the girls had their moment out on the deck. I heard Rose ask Bella about my turning her, and was relieved to hear and feel that Bella wasn't opposed to the notion. While there was no rush, she was correct; it was definitely part of the plan. I wouldn't make Edward's mistake; I was never letting her go.

I followed her to her room, shutting the door behind me. I lay on her bed, waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom. She came out a moment later, climbed on the bed and crawled on top of me, stretching her body out in full on top of mine. I wrapped my arms around her, breathing in her scent, feeling her heart pound against my chest. I kissed the top of her head. "My Bella."

She sighed. "My Jasper." A few beats later, she whispered, "I love you."

"And I you, sweetheart. Rest now. We'll talk later." She was asleep within seconds.

I held her that way until she started to shiver. As I carefully slid her off of me, her hands reached for me, grasping my shirt in her sleep. I turned to my side and curled her into me, wrapping her comforter over us. We stayed that way, my thoughts filled with her, and her sleep peaceful, until she began to stir around 11:30 later that morning.

She stretched her arms over her head and the tank top she was wearing rode up high on her stomach. She moaned and that combined with the creamy bare skin and her taut muscles, I could resist no longer. I dipped my head down, placing my lips in a kiss above her navel.

"Oh!" She jumped a little at my sudden relocation.

"Good mornin', darlin'," I drawled, tracing around her belly button with my tongue. I could feel her lust begin to build.

"Um, Jazz, what are you doing?" Her voice was all raspy, husky from sleep; sexy as hell. I continued tasting across the skin of her stomach.

"I don't know what you mean, Ms. Swan," I answered. I dipped my tongue just under the waistband of her shorts, my hands stroking up and down her back. She moaned softly, and then quickly covered her mouth. I grinned, drawing my tongue across her lower stomach muscles. "What's the matter, darlin'?"

"Are Rose and Emmett still here?" she whispered.

"Mmm-hmmm," I darted my tongue into her navel. She hissed.

"Oh, we so can't do this right now."

I began inching the waistband of her shorts down, kissing her stomach. "I'm pretty positive they were doing something fairly similar to this a couple hours ago."

She paused. "On my couch?"

I shrugged, pulling the shorts down her thighs.

"Jazz."

I ignored her, kissing down the tops of her thighs as I continued sliding the shorts down her beautiful legs.

"Jasper!" she hissed.

Shorts went over the feet, onto the floor, and I began working my lips back up over her calves.

"We cannot do this right now, Jazz." But her determination was wavering.

"Do what, sugar?" I kissed the inside of her knee.

"You know goddamn well what I'm- oh!" My lips had reached her inner thigh.

"Shhh." I nuzzled the now-damp, thin fabric that covered her center, placing a soft kiss upon it. Her heartbeat accelerated and I heard a sudden shuffling followed by her muffled gasp. I looked up to see she was now squeezing a pillow to her face. Good. I chuckled quietly and with a twist of my fingers, I ripped her panties apart, removing the barrier between me and what I most desired.

"Hey!" she hissed.

"I'll buy you more," I said and dipped in for a taste of her ambrosia. As sweet as the blood coursing through her veins may be, it couldn't be better than this. She began to writhe around, so I grasped her hips in my hands holding her still as I continued to savor her sweetness. I could hear her moaning in her pillow, "Oh, God, oh Jazz…"

I went in deeper, rubbing her button with my thumb, and her thighs soon began to quiver.

"Who do you belong to Bella?" I asked softly, casually, lapping at the moisture her increasing arousal had released. She moaned. I stopped what I was doing and looked up at her.

"Jazz, please..."

"You didn't answer me, Bella. Who do you belong to?"

"_Please_…" she whimpered.

I sat up, pulled my shirt over my head, and unbuttoned my jeans, disposing of them along with my boxers at vampire speed.

"Answer me Bella. Who. Do. You. Belong. To?" I positioned myself between her legs.

"You, Jasper. I belong to you." Damn right. And then I claimed my mate.

In one thrust, I sank into her depths, hissing as I buried myself into her warmth. She gasped and I tossed aside the pillow, I couldn't have that face covered any longer. Instead I used my own mouth to muffle her moans as I continued to thrust with long, determined strokes. I felt her getting close, so I thrust deeper, swiveling and grinding my hips into her, and she began to clench around me, her body trembling under mine.

Nearing my own end, I sped up my thrusts, taking care not to hurt her. "My Bella, my Bella," became the mantra I chanted, until I felt her going over the edge again. This time I went with her.

As she cried out, I plunged even deeper than before and released. I heard a crash in the living room. I listened for a moment, determining there was no threat, and then laid with her as we both came back down to earth, her heartbeat slowing back to normal.

Suddenly, she sat up. "Gah! I have to pee!" She hurried to her bathroom. I chuckled and sat up, pulling my jeans back on, and walked into the living room to investigate the source of the crash I'd heard.

I found a very naked Rose, spent, draped over an equally naked Emmett, on a very broken sofa, with shredded clothing scattered about them.

"Wow, what happened here?" I chuckled.

"Like you don't know," Rose mumbled into Emmett's chest. "Project much, asshole?"

Oh. Whoops. "Right, sorry about that." Shit, I gotta reign that in.

"Dude, don't apologize. That was awesome!"

"Uh, you're welcome Emmett."

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Sigh.

"Mornin', lil sis. Got some pants we could borrow?"


	15. Chapter 15

Do you guys love Emmett as much as I do? The big lug.

SM still owns.

**Bella**  
"Sorry about your couch, Bells."

I looked over my shoulder at Emmett in the backseat of Jasper's truck. He was wearing the only thing in the house I could find that was big enough to cover his giant naked ass: Lara's zebra print Snuggie. We were headed to Peter and Char's so he and Rose could get some clothes. "Don't worry about it, Emmett."

"You guys started it," Rose huffed, looking a little more presentable, if rather out of character, in one of my sweatshirts and a pair of my capri sweats. She had a point, though.

Jasper snickered. "Seriously y'all, I'm sorry. Caught up in the moment and all that." He was grinning ear to ear, looking not even remotely sorry. He pulled up to the gate, entered the number code, and drove up the drive.

We got out of the truck and headed for the door. "You know, Bells, this is kinda nice. I may get myself one of these," said Emmett, running his fingers over the fabric on his arm.

"It's yours Emmett; I'll get Lara a new one. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want it back after she finds out where it's been."

"Sweet, thanks Bells."

Peter met us in the foyer, trying to contain his laughter. Well, no, he really wasn't. "Y'all had quite the night, huh?"

"You could say that," Jasper replied dryly. Emmett and Rose went off to their room to change.

Charlotte stepped forward, pulling me into her arms. "Hey sugar, we've missed you."

I hugged her back. "Char-babe, I've missed you more."

"Are you hungry, hon? I could make you a sandwich."

I grabbed her cold hard face, giving her a sound smooch on the cheek. "Wifey, you treat me so good." I followed her into the kitchen, Peter and Jasper trailing behind.

"Knock it off, dick," I heard Jazz mutter at Peter, who snickered.

I turned. "What the fuck is up with you two?"

Jazz pulled me close, giving me a quick peck on the mouth. "Fuckin' Magic 8 Ball here was just offering his congrats on our, um, us... uhh…"

Char squealed. "Oooh, you two! I'm so happy for you guys." We were being congratulated for fucking. Vampires are so weird sometimes.

"Um, right," I said. "We're mated, so we… mated? Yay us!"

Jasper laughed, nuzzling my neck.

"Cut that shit out Jazz before furniture has to be replaced here too." Jasper grinned at Rose as she entered the kitchen looking much more like herself in a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans and a soft gray top, hair immaculate as always. She sat down next to me at the table as I bit into the fucking bomb pastrami sandwich Char made for me.

"Where's Emmett?" I asked her, while I chomped away. She looked more than a little disgusted. Aw, just like my Lara.

"Bella, I really don't need to see that nasty shit. He wasn't quite ready to give up the Snuggie, so he's alternating between lounging in front of the TV and 'raising the roof' whatever the hell that means. He looks like a moron. How's the hand?"

I picked up my fightin' hand, looking at the knuckle that was still a little puffy and sore, but otherwise it was fine. "I'm good."

Char took my hand for a closer look. "My gosh Bella, what happened?" I heard Jasper growl.

"Simmer down, Jazz, don't get yourself all worked up again." I reached over and touched his hand. He stopped growling, but continued to scowl.

"Typical night at the bar," I answered Char. "Asshole got out of line; I had to put him in check, with a little help from my big sis." I smiled at Rose, who looked a little smug.

"I would love to have seen that," Peter said wryly. He glanced at Jasper. "Is the guy still breathing Major?"

"Uh, YES Peter," I said pointedly. Fuck was he trying to get him going again? "I had Travis take him out before Jazz and Emmett could make a puree out of him."

"I don't doubt they would've too," Peter said thoughtfully, still watching Jasper. Just then Emmett walked into the room.

"Fuck Emmett, could you just put some fucking pants on already?" I asked him. He was still wrapped up in that damn blanket.

"I did!" he lifted up the Snuggie to show had indeed put on a pair of track pants and a t-shirt. Everyone stared at him. "What? It's soft and the zebra stripes totally make me look like a pimp."

"Wooow," I said, looking at Rose, who was suddenly overcome with a case of facepalm.

"So Bella," Emmett started hesitantly. Jasper's head shot up and he looked suspicious. Something was awry with Emmett's emotions.

"Ah, shit," Peter muttered.

"Care to elaborate, guys?" I inquired of the three suddenly very anxious looking vampires.

Emmett continued. "I had a voicemail on my phone from Esme. She'd called to see if we'd made it here okay and to ask how Jasper was doing, she misses you bro, so I called her back."

"You told her!" I accused.

"No, I didn't. I wouldn't do that to you guys, that's not for me to tell," he said.

"So what happened?" Jasper asked, looking increasingly concerned. Peter was shaking his head, looking at the floor. Shit, this was gonna be bad.

"Well it seems that Edward gave in. He headed back to Forks to look for you."

"Are you shitting me?" What the fuck? Why now?

"I shit you not. It gets worse though. He ran into Jacob." Ah, shit, not good, not good. "Let's just say it wasn't a very happy reunion. Both walked away though, so that's good right?" I scowled at him. "Jake showed him everything, Bella. Everything."

Fuck, Edward knew about me and Jake. He knew about Tyler. I was glad I was sitting down because I felt like I was about to pass right the fuck out. Jasper gripped my hand and kissed it. "It'll be okay, darlin'. You said you'd never told Jake where you live, so he didn't see that." Right, he wouldn't have seen that. I began to relax a little, until I saw Peter looking at me with his lips pursed.

"There's more isn't there?" Of course there was more, because that's just how my life fucking goes.

"Afraid so. When Jake couldn't tell or show him where you are, he decided to go see the one person who could." Emmett looked at Jasper. "He's in Paris."

"Alice? Why would she know? We haven't seen each other in over three years. Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Jasper looked down at the table. "It doesn't mean she hasn't kept tabs on you, Bella." He told me about the text he received from her that second night at my bar.

"Fuck, are you telling me she knows? Knows everything? What am I saying, of course she fucking knows. Why didn't you tell me?" I felt a wave of calm and then glared at Jasper.

"I was going to darlin', honest. The time hadn't been right and I didn't want to upset you…"

_Oh, HELL no_. I stood up. "Now you hold it right there, we need to get some shit cleared up right the fuck now. The need-to-know bullshit? That doesn't fly with me anymore, do you understand me? As far as WE'RE concerned, _everything_ is goddamn need-to-know. Do I fucking make myself clear, Whitlock?"

He looked down. "Yes ma'am."

Peter snorted.

"Shut the fuck up, Peter. I'm not in the mood for your shit either. Why didn't you speak up, I thought you're supposed to be the guy who knows shit." The grin fell from his face and he looked at the floor.

I turned back to Jasper. "So how long before you think he shows up? I mean really, why would he even go to her to begin with? I thought she'd severed ties with the family or something."

"He and Alice are as close as Rose and I; a product, I believe, from us acting as siblings for so long. I'm sure they've kept in touch, but he'd made her promise not to watch for you when we left Forks. I'm sure she still did, but never said anything to him, or any of us for that matter, about it. Knowing Alice, she'll probably try to block him for as long as she can," he finished.

"She'll crack though. She will or her mate will, if she's told him anything about her visions, which is likely," interjected Peter. "Might want to think about calling in Ma and Pa Cullen."

Great. While I'd thought about my eventual reunion with Carlisle and Esme, two people who even though they looked as young as I, they were like my surrogate parents; I'd really missed them. I just didn't envision the reunion being under these particular circumstances. Just then, my phone chimed signaling a new text message, and my breath caught in my throat. I looked at the screen and exhaled when I saw it was just Lara.

"_B – WTF happened to the couch?"_

I snorted and showed the message to Rose. "I think Sunday's supposed to be overcast," she said, looking at Char and me. "Shopping trip?"

Char grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

**Jasper**  
It could never be easy, could it? I'd had exactly two hours to revel in having made Bella my own, and now this? Peter probably had a point in calling Carlisle and Esme. Edward was surely not going to take this well. At all. I wasn't afraid of him by any means; Carlisle would probably serve well as a mediator, a voice of reason, and would lessen the chances of my having to cause him physical pain on top of that of the emotional variety he would no doubt endure. And causing him bodily harm was certainly a possibility, should he try to come between Bella and me.

After a while, I took Bella back to her place so that she could clean up and get ready for work. Lara was on her way out as we came in. "What happened here last night?" she asked, gesturing toward the broken couch.

Bella looked at me, "Uh…"

"Me and Emmett ended up wrestling over the ass-kicking I gave him while playing 360 last night. I'm afraid it got a little out of hand," I explained.

"Right," Bella said. "Jazz is going to haul this away for us and I'm going to shop on Sunday for a new one. Do you want to come?"

Lara pooched her lip out. "Sorry sweetie, I can't. I already have plans with Ben to spend the afternoon with his parents. They're in town this weekend. Do you mind going on your own?"

I could feel Bella's relief, along with a twinge of guilt. She loved her friend and didn't want her to feel left out in regards to the shopping trip, but she'd also worried about how Lara would handle spending a whole afternoon with a couple of vampires. "Wow, meeting the parents, huh? This sounds serious," she said.

Lara smiled. "It's looking that way. Not to sound cliché, but I think he could be 'the one', Bells."

Bella hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I'm happy for you Lara. Don't worry about the couch; I'll take Rose and Char with me." Lara hugged her back and left shortly thereafter.

Bella decided to check her email, guessing that Jake would've emailed her after his encounter with Edward. Waiting in her inbox was a very lengthy rant about "_that filthy fucking bloodsucker, sniffing around Forks_" for her again. He warned her that Edward was set on finding her, ending with a plea that she call him as soon as possible, and maybe she could consider moving back to Forks for awhile so the pack could protect her. After I dosed her with a wave of calm and determination, she sent him an email explaining that a mutual friend had tipped her off about about Edward, and that she was taking every precaution to remain out of sight. She decided it would upset Jake even more to know the kind of protection she had available to her now. "I can't go into it with him right now; I will someday, but not tonight. But I needed him to know his warning had been received and that I'm being careful, so he won't worry."

After she clicked "Send", she fell into my arms. "Fucking Edward. Why can't he just stay away, Jazz? Why can't he leave me alone like he promised he would?"

I rubbed my hands up and down her back. "We'll get through this, Bella. Don't worry about him, okay? It doesn't change anything, right?" _Please say it didn't change anything._ I'd hate to have to kill my brother, but I would.

"Of course it doesn't, are you kidding me? Only you, Jasper; I only want you." Mine.

I picked her up and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I carried her to her room.

"So I guess I'll be adding a new bed to Sunday's shopping list," Bella said as she squirted some shampoo in my hand and turned around. I began lathering her long locks.

"Sorry darlin'. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm a little sore, but seriously? _So_ worth it." I couldn't see her face, but knew she had a smile on it. With the impending threat of Edward's visit, I had an urge to reclaim her, albeit a little more forcefully than I had that morning. Without the listening ears, she was able to let go and fully give herself to the experience, and to me. Eventually, the poor bed frame couldn't take any more and we came crashing to the floor. Good thing she lived in a ground floor apartment. It didn't slow us down though; we continued our physical pledge to each other until she was completely spent, claiming her muscles had morphed into Jello. I let her sleep for a few hours, until I heard Lara return and begin getting ready for work. I woke her and then decided to join her in the shower.

I worked some of the bubbles from her hair down her body, making sure my favorite parts were squeaky clean. "Alright Jazz, no more time for lovin'. I gotta get ready for work." She turned and smiled at me, rinsed her hair, and stepped out of the shower. I sighed and rinsed off, following her out, and threw back on my jeans and t-shirt.

Since it was late enough in the day for me to be seen outside, I began hauling out pieces of broken sofa to my truck while I waited for her to dress for work. Lara emerged from her own room as I started bringing out pieces of Bella's wrecked bed frame. "Is that… her bed?"

"Umm… yeah. Yes, it is." I said. Cue lazy grin.

She giggled. "Just how far did this wrestling match between you and Emmett go?"

"Oh Lara, sweetie, the bed was all me and him." Bella emerged from her room looking like walking sin. She had on a low-rise black suede miniskirt with fringe that moved as she walked, black suede boots that came up over her knees, and a red off-shoulder top with long bell sleeves and a waistline that didn't quite reach the waist. Her hair was teased on top and pulled into a low side ponytail, showing off her slender neck. I wondered if I could get her to wear Emmett's Snuggie to work tonight instead.

"You two did that?" Lara asked incredulously. Bella nodded, eyes twinkling, biting her lip. Lara high-fived her. "Now _that's_ the Bella Swan I know and love." I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what she meant by that. "I am impressed girl, that's a feat even for you." _Still don't want to know._ I felt my jaw begin to set.

Bella turned to me as she put on her earrings. "How about you dump off that stuff and then swing by your place and get Rose and Emmett? Peter and Char too, if they want to come. I can ride into work with Lara." I really didn't want to let her out of my sight looking like that. My expression must've given me away, because she then said, "It's still early Jazz, I'll be fine."

She turned to Lara. "Last night's incident with the drunken frat boy freaked him out a little," she explained. Freaked me out? Fucker was lucky he left with blood still pumping through his veins. I started to get pissed again just thinking about it.

She rose up on her toes and touched her lips to mine. "At ease, Major," she said softly. "I'll be fine."

It was important to her that I trust her ability to take care of herself, as much as it went against my instinct to protect her. "Okay, ride with Lara; I'll get there with the others as soon as I can."

She rolled her eyes. "You know, I've managed to work there safely for several months before I had you to stand guard."

"And I also heard the stories you told Rose last night about the bastards you've dealt with during that time," I was about to lose my cool.

"That's what Travis is for." _Dammit!_

I leaned toward her speaking quietly, knowing Lara was hovering not very far away. "If Rose hadn't caught that fucker's fist last night he would've hit you, _before_ Travis could've reached him or you. And then I-" I stopped, noticing Lara quietly leaving the room. _"I would've exposed us all by having to end his life then and there!_" I hissed.

"I realize that Jasper," she said quietly.

"_Then forgive me for wanting you to remain unharmed Isabella!" _I took a calming breath. "You are the most important thing to me, I can't, I _won't_, allow you to be hurt. Do _you_ understand?"

"Yes Jasper." She paused. "We're probably going to have to do something about that someday, aren't we?" she whispered.

"Yes, we will."

She nodded and I could feel her acceptance of her fate, of our fate.

"I need to get going Jazz; I'm going to be late. I'll be careful, alright?"

I nodded and bent down to kiss her. "See you soon, darlin'."

She turned to grab her purse. "Lara, let's roll!" she called. I carried out the last of the broken bed frame and drove away.

**Edward**  
It was obvious when she opened the door that she knew the information I was there to retrieve from her. She was reciting Poe's _"The Raven"_ in her mind, in Ukrainian, no less.

"Edward! It's been so long!" she squealed as she hugged me.

"I've missed you too, Alice." I really had missed the spiky-haired sprite. "May I come in?"

"Of course, yes come in!" She stepped aside to allow me to enter. I followed her into her small, but tastefully modern, living room. "I wish Sebastien were here so you could meet him, but he had to go away for few days, to visit with a coven he used to belong to." I saw in her thoughts that she'd actually sent him away, fearful his mind would reveal the information I desired.

I smiled at my sister. "It's a good thing I plan to be in town for a few days. We have so much catching up to do."

"That's, um, great!' But the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Is it, Alice?" And the smile fell away, leaving a guilty scowl in its place. "Let's not beat around the bush, shall we? You know why I'm here and what I need to know. I need to find her Alice. Leaving her was the biggest mistake of my life. I know I told you not to watch for her, but I'm sure you did anyway. You know what she's been through, right?"

She nodded sadly.

"She turned to that _dog_ for comfort. She bore a son, a _pup_, with him, Alice!" I could still see the image I'd gleaned from Jacob's mind, of the small boy with his mother's eyes; eyes that had haunted me for the last three years.

"I know," Alice said softly.

"My leaving did her no good whatsoever. From vampires to werewolves! And then she just disappeared. He's in contact with her, but it's minimal. Only emails and always initiated by him. She's never revealed her location, so he has no idea where he is. But you do."

She looked away, _"The Raven"_ giving way to… the Dixie Chicks? "Country, Alice? Really?" She knows I loathe country music; she's really trying hard to keep me out. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"I'm sorry Edward."

"Does she have someone?" Alice paused, and then nodded her head. My long-dead heart just broke a little more, but at least now we were getting some where. The godawful country music continued.

"She's married?" _Please say no._

"No, but she loves him Edward. You should leave her alone." _I can't. Not now_.

"Just let me see for myself, Alice. She doesn't have to know I'm there; I just want confirm with my own eyes that she is happy and healthy and as in love as you say. If she is, then I'll let her be."

Alice just shook her head sadly. "I can't Edward, I'm sorry."

"You can't block me forever Alice, and I'm not leaving until you tell me."


	16. Chapter 16

Last one for tonight. Love you guys!

SM still owns.

**Bella**

I worked under the watchful eyes of Jasper, Emmett and Rose for the rest of the weekend. Peter and Char came along on Saturday night. Fucking Peter kept tipping for dances; we must've danced eight times that night. I think he did it to fuck with Jasper, as that was the evening I chose to wear a ratty pair of daisy dukes with my thigh-high moccasin boots, my tight suede vest that laced up the front, and my hair parted into two low pigtails. Apparently the male clientele were especially appreciative of my outfit, which needled Jasper all evening long.

By the fourth song, Jasper had planted himself in one of the seats near me at the bar, staring down any guy who approached me with any intent beyond ordering a drink. I tried to reason with him, telling him he was scaring my customers. "I know," he said in that deadly quiet voice. I let him be.

The last song of the night was Merideth Brooks' _"Bitch"_. I had Rose join me up on the bar to dance with me and Lara, much to the crowd's delight. Sammy offered her a job afterward, which Rose politely declined.

I rode back to Peter and Char's place with him after work that night, since it looked as though the weather was going to cooperate for tomorrow's shopping trip. Having no neighbors to worry about, Emmett docked his iPod to their home stereo and cranked up the tunes. An impromptu party commenced, letting our hair down and having some fun before the inevitable drama named Edward arrived. Fucking asshole.

My wifey had bought more of that great wine from before and I worked my way through a bottle while dancing with Rose and Char, and occasionally Emmett. Jasper looked on, smiling that panty-soaking lazy grin at me.

When Peter decided to take his turn, he didn't hesitate to press up against me, grabbing a handful of ass in each hand. Feeling rather drunk at this point, I gasped and laughed, "Peter! Ya fuckin' perv, let go of my ass!"

"No way sugar, I've been eying this luscious tush wiggling around on that bar all evening, I just had to cop me a feel of that!" He ground into me a little for good measure and I could tell he was enjoying himself a little too much. I really thought he would fucking know better, having known Jasper for as long as he has. Still, being the drunken bitch that I was, I couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire.

"Gee Petey, is that a rocket in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"

Peter growled, "What do you think, sugar?" and pressed against me a little harder. Fucking horndog. Gotta say though, Char's a very lucky girl.

Suddenly Emmett came up behind Peter, wrapping his arms around him, dancing and grinding himself into Peter's ass.

"Whoa Emmett! What the fuck?" In the confusion, Peter let me go as Emmett continued to grope him from behind. Jazz pulled me off to the side, a dark smirk on his face. Oh, I get it. He really wasn't kidding about that jealous, possessive stuff.

A second later, Emmett snapped out of it and jumped about five feet away from Peter. "What the- UGH! JAZZ! What the FUCK?"

Jasper chuckled darkly. "Sorry Em, I had to teach Peter a lesson." He wrapped his arm tighter around me, now glaring at Peter. "Next time, I rip your dick off and burn it, got it?"

Peter nodded balefully. "Yeah man, sorry. Was that really fucking necessary though? Emmett was rubbing his wood all over my ass." He and Emmett looked at each other and shuddered.

"Kind of like how you were rubbing yours on my girlfriend? Don't fuckin' do it again." The quiet voice was back.

Peter raised his hands in surrender. "You got it, man."

Emmett, glowering at Jasper, grabbed Rose's hand. "C'mon Rose, my manhood's been violated," and they disappeared to their room. Peter and Char followed suit, leaving me and Jazz alone.

He walked over to the stereo and picked up the iPod, fingers moving swiftly, until he found the song he was looking for.

_What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time_

He took my hand and kissed it, then clasped it in his own, placing the other in the small of my back, pulling me near. He began to lead me in a waltz, softly singing along.

_All of the things that I want to say  
Just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words, you've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here_

_Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all of the people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you_

Slowly we danced, and we melted into each other. As the song ended, he dipped me, kissing me deeply. "Mine," he whispered. I nodded. "Yours."

He picked me up, kissing me and pulling my legs tightly around his waist. He carried me to his room, never breaking the kiss, deposited me on his bed, and began unlacing my vest, working his lips down along the way. "Beautiful," he murmured, and placed his cold lips around one of the darkened circles he'd just exposed. My fingers gripped his hair, holding him place. He unbuttoned my shorts and shoved them down, a low growl rumbling from his chest.

"Yes, Jasper. Take me."

He raised his head and stood, silently gazing at me with black eyes, and pulled his shirt over his head. I sat up and moved forward, reaching to begin unbuckling his belt. His hands stopped mine; slowly he waved his index finger side to side in silent admonishment, and then gently pushed me back on the bed.

I lay there, studying his face and the scars which laced his arms and chest. The numerous crescent patterns that were lightly embossed in his skin were the badge of a warrior, marring his otherwise perfect appearance. He was flawed, like me, and it made me love him that much more. I noticed he'd paused in the removal of his jeans and was watching me as I studied his scars. I met his eyes. "Beautiful," I whispered.

He silently disposed of the rest of his clothing and joined me on the bed. He raised my hands over my head, holding them there as he kissed me, tongue languidly exploring my mouth. "I need you, Jazz. Please," I gasped.

He looked at me, love in his eyes, and his lips curled into the lazy grin I loved so much. I could hear the sounds of the love being made throughout the house, and as he entered me, we joined in the chorus, our lust bringing it to a crescendo.

I stumbled into the kitchen around noon, where Char placed a fresh cup of coffee in my hands. "Babe," I rasped in greeting, and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled at me, her eyes twinkling more so than usual.

Peter had his trademark shit-eating grin on his face as I sat across from him at the table. "And just what the fuck are you grinning at?" I love Petey, but am seriously not in the mood for his shit first thing at the crack of noon.

"Afternoon, sweetheart." I continued to stare at him as I took a sip of my coffee. "Can I just take this moment to say how much Char and I love having you here?"

I sighed. "Let me guess, Jazz was projecting again." He's really gotta reign that shit in.

Char came up behind my chair and leaned down to hug me, kissing me on my cheek, and then whispered in my ear, "Sugar, we'll be shopping for two beds today."

**Jasper**  
Trying to be responsible houseguests, Emmett and Rose had retreated out to the woods, not wanting to cause any destruction to Peter and Char's home. They emerged from the trees as I sat on the back deck smoking a cigarette. Rose's hair had clumps of dirt, pinecones and twigs entwined all through it, and Emmett had a wide grin on his face. She ignored me as she passed by, going straight inside to shower, but Emmett paused to bump his fist to mine.

"Bro. You and Bella? Man. Can Rose and I just move in with you two?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Go get cleaned up, man."

"What? I'm serious. You're officially forgiven for making me dry-hump Peter's ass last night." He bumped my fist again and headed inside.

The girls were on the road ninety minutes later, headed downtown to shop for Bella's new couch and bed, as well as a new bed, nightstands, and armoire for Peter and Charlotte. Emmett and I decided to run to Flagstaff to hunt; Peter stayed behind.

When we returned about four hours later, Peter was seated on the deck, my cell phone on the table in front of him. The message light was flashing. He picked it up and handed it to me.

I immediately became anxious. "What is it? Is it Bella?" He shook his head and I looked at the text.

"_I'm so sorry. Seb's not good at blocking. He'll be there tomorrow night. Call C&E, you're gonna need them. –A"_

Fuck.

"What's going on Jazz?" asked Emmett.

"Edward will be here tomorrow night."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Shit. Are you gonna call Carlisle?"

I started to dial. "Yep."

Peter stood to walk inside the house. "Their rooms are ready."

Rooms? Plural? "Edward's staying too?" Peter looked at me like the dumbass I felt I was the moment I spoke the words; of course he was going to stay. What did I think he was going to do, show up here, see that Bella loves me and decide to leave and never come back? Not fucking likely.

"Just what did you think he was going to do, Major?" he asked, echoing my thoughts.

I sighed. "You know, I think I'll be crashing at Bella's tomorrow night. You fuckers have fun." Carlisle's phone started to ring.

"Pussy."

"I know, I know. You know me Peter, I'll handle my shit."

_Click. "Dr. Cullen speaking."_

"Carlisle, it's Jasper."

**Bella**  
Furniture shopping had never been my idea of a good time. That was, until I did so with two crazy-ass, freshly fucked within an inch of their un-life, vamp bitches who were not only rolling in dough, but also took great pleasure in fucking with the showroom salesmen. They were jumping on beds, rocking them around. "You gotta do the stress test Bella, or you'll be back in a week," explained Rose as she sat upon her knees on top of one bed, gripping the headboard and rocking hard back and forth looking every bit like a porn star with her long blond hair cascading down her back and her perfect hips and ass swiveling around. The expressions on the salesmen's faces were fucking priceless and I snapped a picture of them with my phone. It was a good bed though, seeming to stand up well to Rose's stress test (and God knows she was an expert at finding a bed sturdy enough for rowdy vamp sex), so I decided to take it.

I fell in love with a great sofa with leather as soft as butter, and then decided to splurge and also take the matching overstuffed chair with ottoman. As we placed the order and were preparing to pay, I started to hand my credit card to the salesman. Rose stopped me, handing over a black card.

"You're only buying the couch, Rose; the bed and chair are on me."

She shook her head. "I insist, and more importantly, your boyfriend insists. This is his card, and he made me swear it got used to pay for whatever you purchase today."

I frowned; I hated this shit and they knew it.

"You guys are together now, so you may as well get used to it, Bella. He probably already has one in your name on the way," she said.

I sighed. "Fine, I get it, you're only following orders. I'll take it up myself with the Major later on." Rose turned to the salesman to complete the transaction.

Char snorted, "Yeah, good luck with that." Right. I'd forgotten that Char knew Jazz from his 'Major Whitlock, Vampire Warlord' days.

"Was he really that bad?" I asked her. She knew what I meant.

"Everyone feared him," she quietly replied. "And there are very many who still do. There's very good reason for it."

We completed our purchases, arranging for my items to be delivered to my apartment tomorrow afternoon, and then we decided to go to a nearby café so I could grab a bite to eat. While waiting for my food, my phone rang. _"I don't think you're ready for this jelly…"_ Lara. I smiled as I answered the phone.

"What up hoe?" I heard her snicker at my greeting.

"_Hey bitch, how's furniture shopping going?"_

"Good, we're done. We've got a fuckin' sweet new couch, as well as a Jasper-proof bed, being delivered tomorrow afternoon. I really think you'll like the couch…"

"_It's more important you're happy with it Bells."_ Well, that was odd.

"Now why the fuck would you say that, your opinion of it matters just as much." Have I been that big of a bitch to her?

"_Because I'm moving out." _What?_ "I'm engaged!" _Awww.

"Lara! Oh my God, are you serious? I'm so happy for you!"

"_I know! Thanks! I still can't believe it. And wait til you see this ring, I'll send you a pic from my phone in a bit. Oh my God Bells, I'm getting married!"_

I smiled, happy for my best friend, but sad at the knowledge that our time together would soon be coming to an end. This was for the best. "I'm glad that you have Ben, Lara. I really wish you both the very best life has to offer, I fucking mean it."

She sniffed. _"Stop it bitch, you're making me cry. It's not like I'm going away forever. I'm moving across town and I'll still see you at work. For a while anyway…" _She trailed off. Bitch was holding out on me.

"Lara? Do you have more to tell?"

"_Ben got a promotion. We'll be moving to L.A. in a couple months."_ My heart felt heavy. God I was gonna miss her. _"But it's not so far away; we'll be able to visit each other and it's a short flight…"_

"Yeah sure, we'll figure something out Lara. Don't worry. Look, I'm having dinner with Rose and Charlotte. I'll talk to you later okay? Congratulations sweetie, and give Ben my best. Love ya, bitch."

"_Love you too, whore. Bye."_

I put away my phone and looked at Rose and Char, who'd heard the whole conversation.

"Are you okay Bella?" Rose asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm gonna miss her, but Ben really is a great guy. He'll treat her well. It's better this way anyway. It'll be a lot easier to grow apart once she's out of state." I sniffed, tears filling my eyes.

"Aw, honey." Char came around the table and pulled me into a hug while Rose rubbed my hand.

"No one is hurrying you Bella, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Rose said. As close as we'd suddenly become, I knew she still wasn't a hundred percent on board with my becoming a vampire.

I carefully wiped under my eyes. "I want Jasper. Forever."

My food arrived then and I ate while they chatted about nothing in particular, the previous subject closed.

We arrived back at the house as darkness fell. We walked in, giggling over whether or not Jasper and I would treat them to an encore of last night's nocturnal festivities. "Horny bitches," I snickered.

I paused, spotting Jasper sitting on the couch, elbows resting on his knees, head down with his fingers clasped through his hair. Oh no.

"Jazz?" I glanced over at the girls who silently excused themselves to find their spouses, and then I squatted in front of him. "Jasper. He's coming, isn't he?"

He nodded, and then lifted his head, his expression resigned. "Tomorrow night. Carlisle and Esme are on their way, they should be here by dawn. Alice sent me a text earlier, to warn us he was on his way. She recommended they be here too; I'm not gonna start betting against her now."

"Did you tell them about us?" I was worried about what Carlisle and Esme would think of my and Jazz's relationship. Would they hate me even more now, thinking that I've betrayed Edward?

Jasper touched his hand to my cheek. "Bella darlin', why do you feel that way? They love you; they always have, and they are very anxious to see you again. You're their daughter." He stroked my cheek. "They know, and they will help us work this out."

**Edward**  
I sat, seething in rage, at Charles de Gualle waiting for my flight to be called. Alice had put me off for two fucking days, her mind filled with everything from Patsy Cline to movie trivia to Yeats. I restrained myself from throttling her when she switched to the soundtrack from High School Musical. All three movies. I bided my time and tried to be pleasant with her; but when Sebastien finally arrived and opened the door, I flew to him. He put out his hand in greeting, surprised at first, but then he panicked at my expression and everything I needed to know flooded through his head as I slammed him to the wall. I saw, through his mind's eye, her excitedly telling him about Jasper finally finding his mate as the visions would come to her. She'd been so worried about him, feeling guilty over how she had ended things, but she'd known he too would be finding his true love soon.

"_Peter and Charlotte have taken him to Phoenix, it's only a matter of time now…"_

"_Sassafrass Junction, looks like a fun place. Yes of course! She's there! Oh Bella! My God, she's gorgeous…" _

_Now she was giggling with her hand over her mouth, "Oh my God, what a hellcat! But that guy did have it coming. I never knew Bella had it in her. Jazzy's gonna definitely going to have his hands full with her. Just wait 'til he turns her…"_

I froze as my mind processed what I was seeing. I whipped around to face Alice, as she stood with her hands clasped over her mouth, fear in her eyes. "She's with Jasper, isn't she?"

She stared at me, trying to keep up the block but it was starting to crack.

"ANSWER ME!" And the images she'd been holding back poured out. My vision went red and I picked up the nearest thing I could find, one of the chairs for her dining table, and launched it at her. It shattered as it came in contact with her body.

Sebastien flew around me and crouched defensively in front of Alice with a hiss. I planted a foot to his chest, grabbing both arms and pulling, ripping them off and tossing them behind me. He cried out in pain. "_Get out of my way or your head is next!" _He wisely remained on the floor, silent. I looked at Alice.

"Please Edward. I'm so sorry," she whispered.

My nose was now inches from hers. "You're sorry. HA! You're SORRY? What the FUCK Alice! He tried to KILL her, and she loves HIM? Working in bar, acting and dressing like a common fucking whore, and he's fine with it? He's going to _turn her?_ Ohhhh no, no, no, no, no, no, fuck no, this won't do. I won't have it. Bella is _mine_, and Jasper is a fucking dead man."

"You won't succeed Edward, have you forgotten who he is? Let them be, it's how it's meant to be. Let her go, for her sake and your own," she pleaded.

"Fuck you Alice, I'm going to Phoenix," I spat. I kicked Sebastien's arms toward him on the way out. "No hard feelings, man. I'm sure you're a wonderful guy. Be good to my sister."

"_Flight 423 to New York will begin boarding in five minutes." _

Passengers around me began to stand, gathering their things. I made an effort to calm my rage with the fact I would have my precious Bella back in my arms in less than twenty-four hours, before I stood and made my way toward the front to prepare to board First Class.


	17. Chapter 17

Back with more for y'all! The sooner I get this story back up in its entirety, the sooner I can get cracking on getting HBIC reposted as well. AND I've got a new chappie in the works for that one as well, yahoo!

I've received a few questions as to whether I'll be rewriting HBIC like I am SJ. The answer is "no", to both SJ and HBIC. I'm not really re-writing SJ; as I re-post these, I'm fixing glaring errors from the first 18 or so chapters I'd written before I had the benefit and the blessing of having a beta. So HBIC will very much be the same story it was when I removed it a couple weeks ago. If you're re-reading, you shouldn't find much terribly different in these chapters from the first time you read it, other than I hope it will flow a little more smoothly than it did the first read-through.

Speaking of re-reading, special shoutie to Luke's Momma, who has been keeping me highly entertained for the last few days with her reviews. I know she's read this before, but I love that she's re-experiencing it with me as I re-post these chapters. Thank you for adding that extra bit of awesome to my day!

SM still owns, but the debauchery is all mine.

**Bella**

I awoke to the sounds of Emmett's laughter booming in the other room. I stretched, groaning, feeling the ache in previously underused muscles that had gotten quite the workout over the last few days. Being mated to a vampire definitely had its perks.

We had retired early to Jasper's room the night before. I'd decided it would do no good for us to sit and mope about the bullshit headed our way. Stupid Edward. So I'd run my tongue around the rim of Jasper's ear, whispering, "Saddle up, cowboy." His head shot up, eyes instantly black, and he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. "Goodnight," he said as we zipped past the others.

Once we were in his room and our clothes were hastily disposed of, I took the reins, so to speak. After ordering him onto the bed, to which he blinked and then complied, I proceeded to lick him up one side of his body and down the other. He needed to know that I claimed _him_.

When I reached his straining member, I grasped it firmly and looked him in the eye. "Mine."

He hissed as I lowered my mouth to him, taking as much as I could and grazing my teeth on the way up. He groaned my name as I worked that shit. "All yours, darlin'. Now and forever." Damn right.

And when I straddled him, I rode him like a fucking wild mustang. He sat up, grasping my hips as I moved, and I grabbed his hair in my fists, pulling his face down to my neck. At that moment I could've given a fuck if he bit me, because I was ready to be able to do this with him every night for the rest of eternity. Instead, I felt him sucking on the side of my neck. "What are you doing?" I gasped.

"Marking my territory," he growled. I should've been pissed, but instead it fucking turned me on even more, and I went over the edge. He followed soon after, and I collapsed on top of his chest. He started to chuckle.

"What?"

"Two very happy couples just said 'thank you'."

I smiled at the memory, yawned, and then shuffled to Jasper's bathroom to take care of human business, getting a look at the strawberry-size mark on my neck. _Son of a bitch. It's not like I can wear a fucking turtleneck to work!_ He was waiting for me on his bed when I came out.

"Thanks for the hickey, asshole."

He grinned. "Good morning to you too, darlin'. I kinda like it myself. That bastard's gonna know what's up the minute he lays his eyes on you." Possessive fucker.

"Yeah let's not try to push him over the edge in the first thirty seconds or anything," I said, rolling my eyes.

He shrugged. Oh, this should be fun.

"So are the 'rents here?" He nodded. I pulled on a pair of sweat shorts and my camo tank top, and then piled my hair on top of my head, securing it with a clip. Noting the direction of Jasper's gaze, I pulled off the tank top, put on a bra, and then put the tank top back on. He smirked, took my hand, and led me out of the room.

"You know, I really like that shirt."

As I stepped into the kitchen, I was immediately pulled into Esme's arms. Instant waterworks. "Mom," I sobbed into her hair. "I've missed you so much."

She held me tight, stroking my hair, saying over and over, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Bella." I sniffed and she slowly released me, taking my face between her hands, examining me. "You're all grown up. So pretty! Oh Bella, we've missed you."

Through my tears, I smiled at her, and then noticed Carlisle over her shoulder. Esme released me as he stepped forward, hugging me tight into his chest. I sobbed some more. "Shh, Bella, shh, " he comforted me.

"Aw, this is better than Maury, ain't it Char?"

I lifted my head away from Carlisle's chest. "Peter, shut the fuck up." Esme gasped as Carlisle's frame stiffened. "Oh, sorry, Mom. Carlisle." Both were looking at me, topaz eyes wide. I wiped my eyes and stepped away from Carlisle to get my cup of coffee from Char, slapping Peter on the back of the head. "Thanks for ruining the moment, dipshit."

Jasper snorted.

I took a sip of my coffee. Carlisle cleared his throat unnecessarily while Esme was still speechless. I lowered my cup. "So… hell of an opportunity for a family reunion huh?"

Esme and Carlisle looked at each other. "He's upset Bella. You can understand that right?" Carlisle asked gently.

"Huh, no Carlisle, I didn't. Now why on earth would dear, sweet Edward have any reason to be upset, considering he brought this bullshit on himself?" I felt a little bad for yelling at Carlisle, but damn it I'm not going to be made to feel guilty for this.

Jasper walked up to me, pulling me back against his chest rubbing his hands up and down my arms, but didn't use his 'calm' on me, which I appreciated. "Simmer down, sugar. We were talking before you woke up. What Carlisle's referrin' to is Edward's reaction to his meeting with Jacob and seeing for himself how things were for you, how _you_ were, after we left."

"He came home and told us everything, Bella," Esme said. "Charlie, Jacob, your… son." I nodded, acknowledging I understood what she was feeling about that. "He blames himself. He declared that he'd made a terrible mistake and he wouldn't rest until he found you and begged you to take him back so he could spend the rest of your life making it up to you."

"The rest of _my_ life," I repeated. Fucking typical. Even if I were to take him back, he still didn't plan to change me. What's the fucking point? So I could look like his mother or his grandmother 40 years from now? What an ass. I rolled my eyes, biting my tongue, and happened to catch the time on the wall. It was just past noon. "Shit!"

Jasper started. "What's wrong?"

I pulled away. "My furniture! It's being delivered at one o' clock." I grabbed my cell phone. "I'll see if Lara can be there to let them in."

"_Where u at hoe? –B"_

"_Driving future ILs to airport. Y? –L"_

"_My bed's coming at 1. It's ok, I'll go home and deal w/ it. TTYL bitch. –B"_

I looked at Jasper. "She and Ben are taking his parents to the airport. Can you run me home?"

Rose spoke up. "How about Char, Esme and I take you and let these guys have some bonding time?"

Jasper didn't look thrilled with the idea. "Not sure how much I want you out of my sight today, Bella."

Emmett jabbed me in the arm. "Oh come off it Jasper, she'll be with three perfectly capable vampires. Let 'em go."

So I threw on yesterday's clothes, deciding to shower and get fresh clothes at my place, and the four of us headed out. On the way there, Esme asked some more questions about what happened with Jake and Tyler.

By the time we got there, I was at my breaking point and needed a fucking drink, like yesterday. They asked if they could see the pictures of Tyler that Jake had emailed to me, so I grabbed my laptop out of my room and set it up on the coffee table. I pulled up the folder I had them all saved in, but didn't open any of the files. They could figure that part out; I've had enough for today. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to get cleaned up."

I went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer to take with me in the shower. As I sipped the cold liquid while the hot water beat down on me, I started to relax. However, I also reached the conclusion that my day was far from as fucked as it probably would be by the end of the day. Patron was going to be in order.

I dressed in my comfiest ratty jeans, with a white wifebeater over a black bra. _Fuck Edward, I ain't dressing up for his ass._ I eyeballed the hickey on my neck in my reflection, and thought about smearing some concealer on it, and then I remembered what Jasper had said. Fuck, that was kinda hot. I decided to let it be and worry about concealer when I went to work.

The delivery men showed up just as I was finishing combing out my hair. I directed them where to put things, and then headed to the kitchen to pour my Patron. I shot the first pour, and then poured a couple of fingers in a short glass to take with me out on the deck to have a cig.

Esme came to let me know when the delivery men had left, taking a vampire-speed double-take at my cigarette. I still caught it just the same. "Sorry, mom. Nasty habit, I know."

"You've been through a lot, Bella."

"Yeah, I have."

"Your son is beautiful."

"Thanks. Jake's a good dad."

She nodded and headed back inside while I finished my cigarette.

I went inside, admired my awesome new couch as I passed through, and went to my room to finish getting ready. I put my almost-dry hair up in my standard-issue messy bun, swiped on a little dark-gray shadow and a little mascara, and called it good. I thought about packing an overnight bag but decided against it, figuring it'd serve as a great excuse to leave at some point. And if not, I could always borrow something of Char's.

I did, however, decide to bring along my bottle of Patron, throwing back one more shot before I capped it, stuffed it in my purse and headed for the door. "Let's roll."

**Jasper**  
While the girls were gone, I spent the afternoon in what could only described as a counseling session with Carlisle, while Peter and Emmett played video games. With good reason, he was worried about how all this would play out. Like a concerned father, he asked what my intention was with Bella. Fucking Peter chuckled.

I gave Peter the finger as I answered Carlisle. "I love her. She's my mate and I will be turning her when she is ready. It's as simple as that. I will fight for her, Carlisle. I don't want to, but if that's what it comes to, then that's what shall be."

He frowned and nodded. "I understand. But try to keep in mind he's your brother, Jasper, and he's loved her for the last four years. Try to show him some mercy?"

"I'll try." That's all I could promise.

I felt Carlisle's mood change to thoughtfulness. "She's different now isn't she? She was always strong, but now…" he trailed off.

"She kicks ass now, Dad," Emmett interjected, never taking his eyes from the game. Carlisle looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"She is kind of badass now," I said to Carlisle, with a little smirk. I was mighty proud of my little hellcat. Peter was probably right about how fucking awesome she'll be as a vampire.

When the girls returned, Bella walked in with a tell-tale sway, clutching a half-empty bottle of Patron. Aw, hell. Rose and Char seemed to think it was funny as hell and Esme- well, I was becoming concerned her eyebrows were gonna stick like that.

"Is she drunk?" Carlisle whispered to me; I could feel his disbelief.

"Yep. Pretty much." I got up and walked toward her. "Hey Bells, whatcha got goin' on there?"

She smiled at me wickedly. "Patron baby, Patroooon. And I'm about to have a little more. Oh Char-babe? Necesito uno glasso por favor!" Char snickered and went to the kitchen. Rose sat down next to Emmett, as Bella turned her attention to him. "Emmett! Put that goddamned controller down and turn me on some tunes. My fucktard ex-boyfriend's coming and I need to dance." She started wiggling her ass around to whatever tune was already playing in her head. Emmett stared at her, mouth agape, while Peter put the controller down, sat back and commenced grinning like an asshole, ready to watch the show.

"_She was sipping on that bottle all the way here!" _Esme hissed at me. Rose looked at me, nodding with a grin on her face. Rose really, _really_, loved the new Bella.

"Standard Bella defense mechanism," I explained.

"EMMETT! WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY TUNES?" she bellowed. "Never mind, I'll do it myself." She threw back the shot she'd just poured, handed the glass to Char, and headed for the stereo. '_Hide the bottle'_ I mouthed to Char but, dammit, Bella caught me.

"Wifey don't you touch that fucking bottle." She pointed at her bare wrist, as though pointing at a watch. "It is half-past give-a-fuck, Jazzy. Let me be." She started scrolling through Emmett's iPod. Suddenly she squealed. "LMFAO!" _The fuck?_ "I love this song!"

Suddenly this crazy beat started thumping through the speakers _"Get crazy, get wild, get crazy, get wild…"_

She started dancing, jiggling her luscious heinie to the beat. "Rose, get your fine ass over here and dance with me." Rose got up, laughing, and joined Bella in a rather impressive booty shake. I didn't know she had it in her. Bella straddled one of Rose's legs, grinding against her working her way down low.

Esme and Carlisle's jaws were on the ground at this point. I decided to join Peter and Emmett in grinning like assholes on the couch. Fuck it.

It got even better when some rhumba-sounding song came on and all three gals, with Char having joined in the fun, started shaking their hips to the beat. Bella had downed yet another shot (Esme snatched the bottle as soon as Bella's head was turned) and I could feel in her emotions that she was getting mighty frisky. Bella was in the middle of a two-blonde sandwich, all three tossing their hair around, grinding their hips together, when suddenly Bella grabbed Char's face between her palms and kissed her full on the mouth. Sweet Jesus. As we got a glimpse of her tongue about to enter Char's mouth, three things happened simultaneously:

Carlisle and Esme gasped, in stereo.

Emmett and Peter yelled "YEAH!" in stereo.

And, from the foyer, I heard Edward, who'd arrived unannounced, whisper "Holy shit."


	18. Chapter 18

Y'all ready for this shit? Let's roll, bitches.

SM owns, but I'ma 'bout to put a Whitlock-style hurt on her golden boy.

**Bella**  
I was having a fucking _great_ time. I cranked up the tunes and was dancing with my girls, all fuck-it-all. The Patron had worked its magic, chased my blues and fears away, and we were getting it _on_. I saw Esme snatch my bottle after my last shot, but fuck it, I was good anyway. I wasn't gonna bitch Mom out.

Rose was behind me, pressed against my back, hands on my hips, and Char was in front of me, tit to tit. Char is hot. Not as hot as Rose, mind you, but for real, she's got it goin' on. And Patron can make me a frisky bitch, Lara could attest to that. She had her hands on my shoulders and was grinding her hips into mine, and I couldn't resist. I kissed her. And she didn't pull away_. Alriiight, Char's a freak like me too_. I ran my tongue across her lower lip and as she started to open for me, her head whipped to the side. What the fuck? How rude! And then I noticed all heads had turned to the foyer. Mother fucker.

"Ever heard of knocking, asshole?"

He stared at me. "Er, I did, but apparently everyone was a little, um, distracted in here." He glanced at the mark on my neck, furrowed his brow for a moment and met my eyes once again. Heh. Good call Jazz. I smirked at him.

"Distracted. Huh. Yeah, I've heard that's common among your kind," I said, throwing his words from long ago back at him. The music went silent.

"Love?" _Oh, give me a fucking break._

"You don't get to call me that anymore, Edward." I walked out of the room, grabbing my smokes and heading to the back deck. I heard movement behind me.

"Dammit, I just want to talk to her." I turned and saw that Emmett and Peter were blocking Edward from following me. Aw, my boys. Jazz remained seated, his now steely stare locked on Edward, but he was in control. For now.

I sighed. "Fine, we can talk." I met Jasper's eyes and he gave me a slight nod. I looked at Edward. "Come out here with me." Emmett and Peter started to follow, but I held up a hand, stopping them. "Look, you'll be able to hear everything in here anyway. Just wait here, please?"

They hesitated and then nodded, Emmett giving Edward a warning stare. "I love you bro, but I will fuck you up if you lay a finger on her." Jazz just continued to stare.

Since Esme stashed my Patron, and fucking Edward was already killing my buzz, I grabbed a beer from the fridge on the way out. He looked at the beer in my hand as he held the back door open for me, but didn't comment. Smart man.

I walked out and sat in one of the deck chairs, lighting a cigarette.

"Those are terrible for you, lo- Bella." Ugh, already fucking starting his shit with me.

I glared at him. "Damn good thing I don't intend to live that long then, isn't it?" I blew my smoke in his general direction, suppressing the urge to flip him off. Fucker.

His face flashed, but then he composed it into that goddamn self-composed mask. Yeah, you know the one he was wearing last time I saw him, when he dumped me in the woods? I wanted to smack it off his fucking face, for real. Okay, maybe the tequila wasn't the best idea. _Too fucking late now._ I cracked open the beer.

"What's happened to you Bella? I know you've had a rough time, but this isn't you."

"Actually Fuckward," he flinched at that. _Ha. Pussy._ "This is who I am. The sweet naïve girl you loved and left in Forks died in the woods behind my house. A rough time? You don't know the fucking half of it."

The mask slipped a little. Aw, was I hurting his poor virgin ears? "You know you've got a very filthy mouth. It's very unbecoming."

I smirked at him, taking a drag off my cig. "Funny, Jasper seems to have no problem with my filthy mouth, or what I can do with it." I exhaled my smoke in his face. _Eat that, fuckhead._

His expression turned grim, glancing at my neck again. "Yes, well I see he's done some things with his mouth as well. Or was it Charlotte who gave you that dreadful mark? I saw your whorish little display in there with her." _My what?_

"My what?" _Say it again, fucker._

He signed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I came here prepared to take you back Bella. I love you, I always have. I'll forgive your little dalliance with Jasper and deal with him later. I _am_ a little dismayed at how quickly you were able to spread your legs for that mutt. And don't get me started on the whole dancing on the bar thing; so trashy, Bella. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised though, with how you used to rub yourself all over me. Maybe you always have been a whore and I was too blinded by love to see it. No matter though, my love. We'll get past this."

_Smug, self-righteous son of a bitch. This is how he thought he'd win me back?_ I started to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, crushing out my cigarette.

He cocked his head. "What's so funny, love?"

I looked at him, still laughing. "You, motherfucker. You're calling me a whore? _You_ told me to move on; you thought I'd still be pining away for you, holding on to my virginity just in case you changed your mind and decided to come back for me? _You don't exist anymore, Edward, remember?"_ I was standing, leaning into his face and screaming. "What does exist is that beautifully scarred god in there who loves me for who I am. Who actually wants me with him for-ev-er. And he's more man than you'll ever be, _love, _trust _that_."

The mask was gone, rage with rage taking its place. "Three years, Bella. Three years you have owned my every thought, my every breath. And meanwhile, you're spreading your legs for every supernatural creature that comes along, _you filthy little_ _cunt_."

Oh, _hell_ no. I picked up my beer bottle and flung it, shattering that fucker right in his face, and then I spit on him. "Fuck you!"

Before I knew what was happening, I was lifted off my feet and flung against the wall. His hand was at my throat and my feet were barely touching the ground; his face, now vicious and truly looking like a vampire, was nose-to-nose against mine. "You're _mine_, Bella!"

And just as quickly, I was released, my ass hitting the floor, and Edward was off the deck and on the ground about fifty feet away, with a very, _very,_ angry Major pinning him on the ground.

I gasped, trying to catch my breath, _"Fuck him up Whitlock."_

**Jasper**  
I promised Carlisle I'd try to maintain my composure with Edward. He had a point; I really didn't want to hurt my brother. But I would if I had to.

From the moment he arrived, I was gauging his emotions. I didn't feel any hostility, to my surprise. Shock, yes, since Bella had been in the process of trying to put her tongue in Char's mouth (she and I would have to discuss that one later), which ironically was more than he'd ever allowed her to do with him. And then I felt the overwhelming love he still held for her.

I thought twice about letting her go out on the deck to speak 'privately' with him, though we could hear every word that was uttered. I could feel the pride radiating from Rose for Bella finally standing up to him, not taking any more of his shit.

Carlisle placed a restraining hand on me a couple of moments there toward the end, especially when he began implying she was a whore, assuming he could manipulate or guilt her into taking him back.

I stood when I heard the bottle crash and when I heard the sound her body made when it slammed against the wall, I was on Emmett and Peter's heels out the door. I saw him holding her by her throat against the wall, and the world went crimson. Emmett pulled Edward off of her and I landed a solid kick in the center of his chest, sending him flying through the deck's railing onto the yard. I tackled him, pinning him to the ground, my nose nearly touching his, and my control was fading. Faintly, I heard my mate rasp, "Fuck him up Whitlock", and I proceeded to do just that.

Rage.

Fury.

And the sheer agony of my victim.

Good.

In my haze, I began to hear the concerned cries of Carlisle and Esme.

"_He's had enough son." _

_"Emmett, Peter, please do something!"_

I felt strong hands try to restrain me and I flipped around in a defensive crouch to take my next opponent.

"_Bella, no!"_

Fear.

"Jasper, stop!"

I stopped at the voice of my everything. The crimson cleared from my vision, and I saw Bella, who'd placed herself between Emmett and myself, hands out in front of her to stop my advance. I could've killed her. "Bella."

I stopped for a moment and submerged myself and my surroundings with calm, silence all around me as I gathered my bearings. My eyes landed on Edward.

I didn't kill him, but I did pummel the fuck out of him. Esme was gathering body parts; both arms and one of his legs, which was broken into two pieces, as well as a few fingers that had been flung across the yard. His face was badly beaten. Carlisle was tending to his son, who was lying incoherent in agony.

"I should rip his fucking head off and end his miserable existence." The way he spoke to her, treated her, _laid his hands on her_. Unacceptable. Anger began to take hold once again and I took a step toward him.

Bella took a step toward me slowly, hands still raised. "Jasper, honey? It's Bella. I think he got the message. It's enough. No more, okay?"

I paused, and then changed direction. I stepped toward her, and in a flash Emmett and Peter were at her side, ready to protect her. I raised a hand, letting them know I was in control of myself. "It's okay," I managed.

She crossed the distance to me quickly and leaped into my arms, her legs around my waist. "I love you," she whispered into my neck.

I turned and carried her back inside the house, leaving the others to clean up the mess I'd made of my brother.

I carried Bella to my room, shutting the door behind me and placed her on my bed. "I need you, Bella. You're mine."

She gently kissed my lips. "Then take what is yours." And I spent the next several hours doing just that.

I didn't care who was there, who could hear us. I wanted _him_ to hear us, hear her screaming my name as I claimed her over and over again.

_Mine_.


	19. Chapter 19

Poor Eddie got his ass handed to him, didn't he? Ready to find out what happens next?

Still SM's characters... kind of...?

**Bella**  
Edward remained in the guest room Peter had provided for him for two solid days following having his ass (well, his arms and a leg) handed to him by Jasper. Carlisle sat with him for the first half-day, much of which was spent chewing him a new one for putting his hands on me. However, before he had the chance to do that, Esme, who had just painstakingly and lovingly helped him fuse his limbs back to where they belonged, hauled off and punched him square in the face. "I love you darling, but don't you ever fucking do that again." I found out later from Jasper that she'd been abused by her spouse in her human life and in her eyes, Edward had crossed the line.

I avoided going anywhere near Edward's room; not that Jazz ever let me out of his sight to begin with, even going as far to standing guard outside the bathroom door when I had to go. Awkward much? I took a couple of personal days from work, the stress of it all having taken its toll on me. And Peter didn't exactly help matters by trying to goad me into making out with his wife. Dumbass.

With Thursday being a busier night at the Junction, leading into the weekend, I needed to get back to my apartment to do a little laundry and get ready for work. Jasper dropped me and Rose off at my apartment. I decided I wanted to have my own vehicle at my disposal instead of having to bum rides any time I wanted to go somewhere, though I knew I wouldn't be going anywhere alone all that much for some time to come. The plan was for me to drive myself, with Rose, to work and then he and Emmett would meet us there later.

At the apartment, I saw that Lara had begun packing her things, which made me sad. She planned to be completely moved out by Sunday. She offered to continue paying rent for the four months remaining on the lease; however, Rose informed her it wouldn't be necessary as she and Emmett were going to be by new roomies.

"Uh, you are?" This was news to me.

She nodded. "Emmett's decided he really likes being close to you guys" (_huh, gee I wonder why?_), "so if it's all right with you, we thought we could stay here until we come up with a more permanent housing solution."

Lara was enthusiastic about the idea. "That's perfect! I was feeling so bad about ditching you Bella, but wow, it seems like the timing for all this couldn't be better. I'm still gonna miss the shit out of you," she added quietly. "You'll always be my best bitch, you know that right?"

"Always, you silly hoe." I hugged her hard.

"Oh! I've been meaning to ask, you'll be my maid of honor, won't you?"

I smiled. "Well of course I will. But if you come up with some stupid pink frilly shit I'm kicking your ass all the way down the fucking aisle, got it?"

"Bitch, you know you're wearing lycra with stripper heels."

"Ooh, the clear kind?"

"Sure, why not?"

_Kickass._

Thursday night was hopping at the bar; we were nearly at max capacity, drinks were flowing and it felt good to have a little space from Jazz and be back in my own element for a little while. As much as I loved him, I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to be able to put up with the constant hovering.

And just as I was thinking this, speak of the fuckhot devil himself. He gave me a wary smile as Emmett came strolling in with Carlisle and Esme in tow. But wait! There's more! Behind them trailed, Peter, Char,… and Edward. _Fuck my life._ I wanted to fucking slap that grin off Peter's face, or shove some shit in it so it would have a reason to be there, because, really? Not. Fucking. Cool. I looked at Emmett, who'd plopped down at the bar next to Rose. "Seriously?" I asked, gesturing with my head in Edward's direction.

Emmett shrugged. "Peter thought it'd be a good idea for Edward to see you here."

I looked over at the set of tables they'd pulled together. Edward was seated between Carlisle and Esme, staring down at the table. Jasper was seated across from him, watching him like a fucking hawk. "And just why would Peter think that? Edward made his feelings about my job perfectly clear the other night." I saw Edward's shoulders jerk, flinching at my words.

"Trust me," said Emmett, "Jazz wasn't exactly wild about the idea, as you might be able to tell." I glanced again at Jasper, whose gaze had not shifted from Edward. In fact, he was looking a little harder at him, because Edward was now watching me. _Aw, his eyes looked so sad._ I gave him the finger.

**Jasper**  
I don't know why the fuck Peter thought it was a good idea to bring Edward here. Carlisle seemed to agree it was worth a shot, since there were seven of us to maintain control. Over him or me, I wasn't quite sure.

When we walked in, I saw Bella in her black leather pants and vest outfit with my cowboy hat. Goddamn. I wanted to bend her over that bar and look Edward in the eye while I worked her over but good, and show him just who she belonged to. He cringed, refusing to look back toward the bar. _That's right fucker, I know you can hear me, and you can just continue to keep your damn eyeballs pointed at the floor. _

Instead, he raised his eyes to me, oozing hostility. I met his stare. "What?" I growled.

"You can feel them, I can _hear_ them," he hissed. "Would you like to hear the kind of things these people are thinking about _your_ _mate_? It'd be a bloodbath in here if you did, I assure you."

His words caused venom to begin pooling in my mouth, igniting my instinct to protect my mate. I saw the slight smirk on his face and, while I didn't doubt the truth of his words, I'd given him the reaction he was hoping for. I calmed myself. "Be that as it may, it's her choice. I can protect her without taking away her free will."

Just then I heard the clanging of the bell at the bar, and looked up to see Peter walking toward us from the bar, oozing mischief. I sighed and turned back to Edward, who was confused at all of the excitement and commotion in the room.

"I'd tell you to close your eyes and plug your ears, but that ain't gonna do you any good. You're not gonna like this."

He watched with dismay as Bella joined her coworkers on the bar. I detected a significant wave of lust as he took in her attire. _Hey asshole!_

"It isn't as though I'm the only one in this room feeling that way at the moment, Jasper," he sneered.

Just then the opening bars of Great White's "_Once Bitten Twice Shy_" began to play. I glared at Peter. "Fucking seriously Peter?"

He cackled, raising his hands in innocence. "Hey, not guilty! Yeah I paid for the dance, but told _her_ to pick out the song."

I looked at my gal who winked at me as she was shimmying down into a sexy little squat on the bar, tipping the cowboy hat low over her eye. Naughty little minx. I gave her a grin despite myself, and then felt a wave of agony from the seat next to me.

Edward's head was in his hands, eyes closed, palms covering his ears in a fruitless gesture to block the thoughts of those surrounding us. Normally he could block out 'chatter' to background noise and pay it no attention, but when the main topic of the chatter was the object of his desire, it proved much too difficult for him to do so. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Esme noticed Edward's discomfort. "Edward, are you alright? Do you need to go?"

"Please, Esme. I need to get out of here," he whispered. "I can't take it anymore." He was broken.

"Of course dear," she replied and then leaned across Edward to Carlisle. "Carlisle we should go." No response. "Carlisle?"

Carlisle was focused on Bella as she did her dance on the bar, watching her as she was bending over in those shiny leather pants, swiveling her hips. His emotions weren't so fatherly at the moment. What the fuck, _dad?_ I nudged his leg with my foot to get his attention, cocking my eyebrow at him, annoyed, when his eyes met mine.

"I'm sorry, what?" He had no idea Esme was speaking to him.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Edward would like to leave now."

"Oh. Well, of course. I imagine this is very uncomfortable for you, son," he said, feeling a little embarrassed at getting caught at ogling his 'daughter', yet really kinda wanting to look some more. "Maybe you two could take Jasper's truck back to the house; I can catch a ride with Peter and Charlotte." Taking in Esme's facial expression, he amended "Or I could come with. I'll drive."

She smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Heh. Big Daddy Carlisle was gonna have some 'splaining to do later on, poor bastard.

"Well then, we should go," he announced. "May I have your keys Jasper?"

I handed them to him. "Take care of my baby." Carlisle nodded.

Edward met my eyes as he stood. "Take care of mine," he said softly, and then walked to the door without sparing another glance toward Bella. Sadness. Grief. Despair.

Carlisle and Esme watched him go. "I think we're going to be leaving in the morning, son," Carlisle said. "We'll take him home so he can truly begin to move on." He squeezed my shoulder as Esme leaned down to kiss my cheek.

They paused by the bar to say good night to Bella, who was back to pouring drinks. When they walked away toward the door, her eyes met mine and she smiled a sad smile in my direction. I sent her a wave of my love, and she mouthed, _Thanks, I love you too._

"He needed to see it," Peter said, now sitting next to me. "Any illusions he entertained of her being the Bella she once was, his Bella, were shattered tonight. Tonight he begins to grieve what he knows he has lost forever."

"I wish him well." I truly did.


	20. Chapter 20

Time to fast forward a little. If this is your first time through, I hope you're liking what you're seeing so far.

SM's characters are headed to Vegas; let's see what happens, shall we?

**~3 Months Later~**

**Bella**  
The last few months following the departure of Edward, Carlisle and Esme were relatively calm. I say 'relatively' because I now shared living space with Emmett and Rose on a semi-permanent basis; there is no such thing as calm where Emmett is involved. His first order of business was to replace my 42-inch plasma TV with a 60-inch LED, and then install every gaming system available on the market. We had to establish quiet-time rules right away, with a quick seminar on 'inside voices' so he wouldn't piss off the neighbors. And since they liked to fuck like wild monkeys every now and then, Jazz and I split time between staying at my place and his since there's only so much of _that_ noise, in such close range, that I can handle. Furthermore, my appreciation over my new couch came to an abrupt end the morning I walked out of my bedroom to find Emmett's naked ass on it while Rose was having one hell of a ride. It was their couch now.

Carlisle had made a special trip to Forks not long after leaving Phoenix to speak to Jake. He told him that he'd understood that Edward had made some very upsetting comments about finding me. Carlisle assured him that Edward no longer had interest in pursuing me and had decided it best to let me be and move on. In truth, Edward decided to go Alaska to stay with the Denalis, needing to just get away for a while, figure out what the hell to do with his next hundred years, I don't know. I didn't really care, except for hoping that he'd finally get laid. I remembered hearing about a vamp amongst the Denalis named Tanya who had the hots for Edward.

Anyway, Jake emailed me after Carlisle's visit, still unaware I'd been in contact with any of them myself, and passed on Carlisle's message. He urged that I still contact him immediately should anyone or anything suspicious catch my attention. I replied that I would. I'd decided that I wasn't going to volunteer information about my becoming involved with the Cullens again, or my relationship with Jasper. If it came up someday, fine, but nothing good would come of spilling those beans right now. It really wasn't any of Jake's fucking business anyway.

Jasper and I continued to grow closer. The love we shared showed me how immature my relationship with Edward had been. That had been teenage infatuation. This was the real fucking deal with a real fucking man. Mine. And I was most certainly _his_. I used to hate Edward's possessiveness, his jealousy, and swore I'd never tolerate it in another relationship. But with Jasper, there was no denying he owned my ass and I would do whatever he said. I learned a whole new appreciation for domination a few weeks into our relationship, something I'd been hesitant to try and was later oh-so-very glad that I did. It was my new favorite pastime. Same token with that aggressive, raw masculinity he possessed during those times, he was so tender, sweet and respectful of me most of the rest of the time. Vampire or not, he was my equal, my partner. I'd found the best of both worlds.

We were now in Vegas for Lara and Ben's wedding. Rose and Emmett were invited guests, and Peter and Char sort of invited themselves. Lara was cool with it though, having met them a couple times. "Char's way cool, but that Peter's kinda fuckin' weird; how do you put up with him all the time?" she'd asked me one day. With a little love and a lot of fucking patience, my dear. Lara was also a lying bitch because she totally renegged on the lycra and stripper shoes for my maid-of-honor ensemble. "Not exactly the most maid-of-honor-able, Bella. Jesus, you're such a slut sometimes." She did, however, choose a hot little black dress for me to wear instead. I splurged, well Jasper splurged, on a bitchin' pair of Christian Laboutin gladiator heels to go with it.

We were checked into our rooms at the Bellagio, having secured suites for each couple. Jasper, Emmett and Peter immediately went to drop an obscene amount of money at the tables. However, Jasper was the only one who walked away with significant winnings. It seems that being an empath comes in very handy at the poker tables.

We girls had a day at the spa, with Rose and Char just opting for mani-pedis, while Lara and I were wrapped, massaged, and waxed (that shit fucking hurts!) and also got mani/pedis. We then caught the Cirque du Soleil "O" show, followed by the mandatory girls' night / bachelorette party thing. We decided to go to Pure, bypassing the male revues. Personally, for me, Jasper was the fucking sexiest man in the world and none of those dancers held any appeal for me. "Most of them are gay anyway," opined Rose.

We went dancing, and Lara and I lost count of shots after the first hour. Once we, namely Rose, tired of chasing off the horny boys that kept trying to rub up on us on the dance floor, we decided to bail before some guy really ended up getting hurt. So we decided to go crash the bachelor party.

Imagine the surprise of our men as we walked in to the Den of Iniquity club, where they were seated in a private VIP area and Emmett just happened to be getting a lap dance. Rose was less than impressed and Emmett shooed the poor girl away before she was quite finished, most likely saving her life because Rose looked like she was 'bout to slappa' hoe.

I sat down next to Jasper and asked him if he'd gotten one. "Would you care if I did?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope." I knew who he was going home with tonight.

'Good, 'cause I didn't." He said, grinning my favorite lazy grin. "The sexiest woman in the world just sat down next to me; I have no desire for the touch of any other." He leaned over and gently touched his lips to mine. _Fuck, I love this man._

But because I'd had plenty of shots, plenty of which being Patron, I was feeling a little frisky. "So would you mind if I got one?"

"A lap dance?" He looked at me, a little surprised although he really shouldn't be at this point, now should he?

"Yeah. I'd like a lap dance. What do you say?"

He smiled and then gestured to the hostess of our section. "The little lady here would like a dance."

She smiled at him. "Of course."

We were joined a moment later by "Sabrina", a beautiful woman of Asian decent with striking green eyes. Jasper watched intently as she moved her body on me, writhing against me, and my eyes locked on his, which were now like onyx. I became turned on at his being turned on, and by the time Sabrina's dance ended, we were both breathing heavily. He pulled me out of my seat. "Let's get out of here," he growled in my ear. _Yes, please._ We quickly bid the others good night and grabbed a taxi back to the hotel.

As we pulled away from the club, he leaned into me kissing me fiercely on the mouth. I moaned and suddenly his hand snaked up inside my mini skirt, shoving aside my panties and plunging two fingers where needed them the most that very second. He covered my gasps with his mouth, though I was pretty sure the driver knew exactly what was going on. It was very likely this wasn't the first time it happened in his cab either. I briefly squicked out at the notion until Jasper's thumb came into play, and then I really didn't give a tinker's damn if a fucking orgy had been the last passengers in that cab.

'You okay, darlin'?" he asked, having picked up on my flicker of gross-out.

"Yep. Tell ya…later. Don't…stop," I panted as quietly as I could. He chuckled and continued moving his fingers in and out of me in the most fantastic way.

I finished just as the cab pulled in front of the hotel, biting his shoulder and drawing a hiss from him. He grinned at me, removed his hand and licked his fingers, winking at me. _Fuuuuck._ He handed the driver a hundred dollar bill and told him to keep the change. "Poor guy earned it, your moans were driving him wild," he said as he helped my walk on my now-wobbly legs into the hotel.

We went up to our suite to finish what we started in the cab. He picked me up and placed me on the huge bed, pulled my skirt and panties off in one fell swoop, and dove in face first. "Your scent in the car was driving me insane," he moaned into me, pushing his tongue as far as it would go. That right there pushed me over the edge again and he gladly took every last drop. I didn't know when he lost his clothes, but suddenly he was hovering over me in his magnificently scarred glory and thrusting into me with a growl that nearly caused me to come undone again. He leaned down and kissed me as he moved his body powerfully, steadily, and then reaching his hands underneath my ass as I wrapped my legs around his hips, he pulled our bodies tight to each other. While he was ice cold, he felt so very good to my hot skin. He slowed his movements and we were then making love at a deliciously leisurely pace, which was a fucking incredible way to spend the rest of the night.

Lara's wedding was late the following afternoon. Lara had a lunchtime get-together with her mother, aunt, and her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law, so each couple spent time some time alone for a while. Jasper and I spent a good portion of the day lounging in the suite, where I caught up on a little sleep until it was time to get start getting ready. Rose and Char came by our suite to get me, and then we all headed down to Lara's room to get dressed and do hair and makeup.

Having already done her own in a bombshell updo, Rose got to work on our hair fixing Lara's in a gorgeous updo, curling her blonde hair in ringlets that framed her face beautifully. Char's was a simple but elegant ponytail, which Rose finished by wrapping a lock of Char's hair around the elastic, giving it a sophisticated look. I chose to wear mine down, so she set it in large rollers before she started our makeup, and then when all of our makeup was finished she removed them and tousled the waves with her fingers. Then she and Char help Lara and I get zipped into our dresses. Lara wore a strapless white satin gown with an A-line cut to the floor, keeping the train up in an elegant bustle. Mine was a black sleeveless shift that came to just above the knee. With the addition of those fuckawesome Laboutins, I was pretty sure I was the hottest maid-of-honor in Vegas. Just sayin'. Char and Rose both looked fabulous in dark wash jeans, silk blouses, and Laboutin stilettos, but of course those gorgeous bitches would look hot in muu-muus.

Finally, it was time for the wedding to start. As I walked slowly down the aisle, I clutched a single Calla lily, meeting Jasper's eyes with a smile as I passed by. I was hit with a wave of love so strong I nearly cried. I tried to watch Lara and Ben as they recited their vows, but my eyes kept being drawn back to Jasper, who never took his eyes off of me. Lara and Ben finally kissed, sealing the deal and then it was time for the small reception they'd planned, having reserved one of the hotel's private banquet rooms.

Jasper silently took my hand and walked with me into the room. I grabbed a glass of champagne as a waiter bearing a tray full of them passed by; I took a sip and watched my friend as she and Ben were surrounded by loved ones wishing them well. "She looks so beautiful, so happy," I sighed.

"She's beautiful, but still pales in comparison to you, my dear." I smiled at Jasper as he leaned forward to kiss me behind my ear. "I love you so much, Bella. I can't wait to make you Mrs. Whitlock."

I started with surprise at his words. After all the talk of mates and true love, we'd yet to approach the subject of marriage. Being only 22, it wasn't really something I'd thought a lot about, especially after all that had occurred with Jake. But when Jasper said that, I knew without a doubt that becoming Mrs. Jasper Whitlock was something I wanted very much. I turned my face to meet his lips with mine and kissed him soundly with all I had in me. "Then why wait?" _Fuck, did I just say that out loud? Yeah, I guess I did._ And I meant it.

"Jesus Christ you two, get a room!" cracked Peter. Seriously after I become a vampire, first order of business is going to be punching that fucker in the mouth.

**Jasper**  
My dead heart swelled as I watched Bella walk down that aisle, her chocolate brown eyes meeting mine, and when she smiled, she stole my breath. How did I get so lucky as to be able to call that sensuous creature my own? But then it hit me, claiming her as my mate, while certainly significant, it wasn't enough. I wanted her, _needed_ her, to be my wife and have my name.

I watched only her as Ben and Lara exchanged their vows, imagining that it was Bella and I in their place. This needed to happen, ASAFP. I felt a little guilty for never having broached the subject with her in the first place. Some southern gentleman I was.

"When in Rome…" Peter muttered. Really, how the fuck does he _do_ that? "Just sayin'."

When I kissed her afterward in the banquet hall and told her I wanted to make her Mrs. Whitlock, I registered her shock and I began to panic. Was it too soon? What if she didn't want to marry me? We would still be mates, I didn't doubt that for a second, but I wanted her to have my name. Even Alice didn't take my name, which had kinda bothered me at the time. I was glad though, now, because other than my momma, God rest her soul, Bella would be the only woman in my world who would hold that name. Wouldn't she?

After a beat or two, I felt the intense longing coming from her. _Yes!_ And when she kissed me, I knew she wholeheartedly agreed.

"Then why wait?" she whispered softly. Oh, darlin'.

"Jesus Christ you two, get a room!" I am going to fucking kick Peter's ass. Just then Char whacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" he cried, rubbing the spot. "You've been hanging out with Rose too much."

"Quit ruining the fucking moments!" she hissed. Char rarely swore, so this outburst was pretty damn comical coming from her, and I couldn't help but laugh, as did Bella.

After things calmed down, I whispered in Bella's ear. "When?" I would do it tonight if she allowed it.

"How about tonight? After the reception?" _God I love this woman._

"You're sure?" _Please say yes._

She nodded with a big smile, eyes twinkling. I grabbed her hand and started walking toward one of the doors, which opened to a terrace.

"Jazz, what are you doing? I thought we would after…"

"Just follow me Bella. I need to do this right."

I led her out to the terrace to a dark corner where we could be alone, and then I stood in front of her and dropped to one knee. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you are my hope, my world, my light, my everything. It's the mission of my existence to love you with all that I have for all of eternity. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. "Yes Jasper. It would be my utmost pleasure to become Mrs. Jasper Fucking Whitlock." I chuckled and stood gathering her in my arms, kissing her deeply.

"That's not my middle name, darlin', but for you I'd be willing to change it to that. Now what time does this reception end?"

**Bella**  
When we came back inside, there were four vampires standing near the door waiting for us with expectant grins on their faces.

"Um, I hope you guys aren't burnt out on weddings tonight," I said, "because you've got one more to attend."

Rose and Char squealed and surrounded me, hugging me, while Peter shook Jasper's hand and Emmett pulled him in for a man-hug.

Lara approached us. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you. It's time for toasts and cake and all that cute and fuzzy shit. God my feet hurt," she pouted, and then took in the scene before her, looking at us a little suspiciously. "What's going on?"

I took her hand. "Let's just say this wedding has been very inspiring," I told her, indicating with my head toward Jasper with a wink. Her eyes grew wide.

"Shut the fuck up! Are you kidding me? You're getting married?" At my nod, she screamed and threw her arms around me, hugging me tight. "Oh my God, Bells! I'm so happy for you! When?"

"Um, when does your reception end?"

She gasped. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, I'm marrying this fuckhot bastard tonight," I said winking at Jasper and earning a panty-dropping lazy grin in return.

"Where? I need to be there," she insisted.

"Lara, it's ok, you just got married. Don't you have some honeymoon sex to get to or something?"

"Bella, he can wait one more hour while I watch my best bitch get married. We will be there."

Jasper excused himself shortly after I fulfilled my maid-of-honor duty of giving a toast. I was proud of myself; I got through the whole thing and didn't say 'fuck' once, but I did call her "my favorite whore", which raised a few eyebrows in the room. Old habits, and all that, fuck 'em. Jasper took Peter and Emmett with him, while Rose and Char stayed behind with me to watch the traditional cutting and face-smashing of the cake and tossing of the bouquet. Actually, when it came time to do the bouquet, Lara bypassed the few girls anxiously waiting to catch it, and simply walked over and handed it to me. "A bride's gotta have a bouquet," she said with a grin.

I kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, babe."

The guys showed up just as things were winding down. Jasper stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and whispered in my ear. "Ready to get hitched, darlin'?" Was I ever.

"Mmm-hmmmm," I said, turning my head to meet his mouth with mine.

"Then let's get it on woman, preacher-man's waiting."


	21. Chapter 21

Goooooin' to the chapel and they're gonnnnna get ma-a-a-arried! Y'all have never seen a wedding like this before. I have to say, this chapter is one of the funnest I have ever, EVER written. I hope you enjoy!

SM gave us her idea of the perfect wedding with Edward & Bella's wedding. I, of course, had to come up with something just a little more memorable for these two.

**Bella**

"Where did you go?" I asked, nuzzling his jaw with my nose.

"I was working on wedding arrangements. We're all set, darlin', we just need to show up."

_Oh my God, I'm getting married!_ "Oh! Well, okay. Shit. Yeah, let's do it then."

I looked around for Lara, who was saying goodbye to the last of her guests, waving, when I caught her eye.

She headed over, holding hands with her new husband. "So it's your turn now?" I nodded, suddenly feeling very nervous. Jasper squeezed his arm around my waist.

"Where are the others?" I asked him, having just noticed that Rose, Emmett, Peter and Char were missing.

He smiled at me. "They're outside. Come on, your chariot awaits." _My what?_

We headed out through the lobby, and parked in front of the hotel was a massive, glossy black with gleaming chrome, stretch Hummer limousine. "Holy shit!" I gasped. "This is for us?" _Fucking sweet!_

"Yeah, I had Emmett arrange transportation while I accomplished a few other certain tasks." He helped me inside, with Lara and Ben following.

"Sweet ride, huh Bells?" Emmett grinned. Rose handed Ben, Lara and me each a glass of champagne.

"Wait, you're not going to join us?" Ben asked Rose. I raised an eyebrow at Rose.

"Oh, we're uh, champagned-out from your reception," said Rose. "Lovely wedding, by the way." _Nice attempt at distraction Rose; too bad it ain't gonna work with my best bitch over here._

Lara looked at me. "Where the fuck did you find these lightweights?" She handed her glass to Ben, grabbed the bottle from the limo's mini bar and started pouring five more glasses. I heard five quiet sighs. Heh. "It's our wedding night and you assholes are gonna drink up for once, goddammit." That's my bitch right there.

Each vampire warily took a glass, raising it in a toast.

"To true love," toasted Lara.

"May it last forever," I added, winking at Jazz.

The rest chimed in. "Salud!" and drank. I suppressed a giggle at the facial expressions of the supernatural beings trying to mask their disgust; not doing so well, actually.

Emmett had the driver turn on some tunes, and we bumped along to the wedding chapel. I stealthily traded glasses with Rose, and then once again with Char, both of whom had had their glasses discreetly topped off by their spouses. Lara was well on her way to 'faced at that point and didn't notice, and needless to say, I myself had a very nice buzz going by the time we pulled in front of the chapel.

The Little Chapel of Eternal Love. Awwww. I smiled at Jasper, who grinned at my picking up on the joke. "I thought it was appropriate," he said.

We filed inside, with me teetering a little dangerously on those damn five-inch heels. They'd seemed a like a good idea at the time.

"Whitlock-Swan party," Jasper said to the middle-aged woman at the front desk.

"You're right on time," she said, smiling at us. She handed us some paperwork to fill out for the license and whatnot; once we were finished, she led us into the next room. "Are you all ready then, don't need to change clothes or anything?" We shook our heads. "Alright, then. You fellas come with me. Any of you that aren't active participants in the ceremony come along as well."

Sparing a last loving glance at me, Jasper, followed by Emmett and Peter, filed out behind the woman followed by Ben. Lara paused first to give me one last quick hug.

"Good luck. Love ya bitch," she whispered in my ear.

"Love you more, whore," I whispered back. She followed her husband out to the next room.

I exhaled loudly, trying to calm my jitters, and then suddenly I was calm. "Thanks Jazz," I said in a normal speaking voice. I heard his chuckle in the next room.

I turned to Rose and Char, pulling two lilies out of my hand-me-down bouquet, handing one to each of them. "Do I look okay?" I asked, starting to fuss with my hair.

Rose stilled my hand. "You look great. You look beautiful." The music started, Pachebel's _Canon in D_. "Now go marry my brother."

At the woman's signal, Rose and Char stepped out together, being my co-maids-of-honor. I couldn't choose one over the other; they were both my sisters as far as I was concerned. Once they were in place, the woman signaled for me to go.

I took a step into the small, quaintly decorated room, my eyes meeting my very-soon-to-be husband. _Husband. I'm going to have a husband! I am marrying Jasper Fucking Whitlock._ Fucking unreal. I smiled at him and thought very hard about how much I loved him, hoping he'd pick up on it. The huge smile that lit up his face, followed by a hefty dose of his own love, told me that he did.

I stood next to him, and turned my gaze to the minister, who I was pretty fucking sure was God's grandfather, and waited for him to begin. Holy shit, this dude was older than dirt.

"DEARLY BELOVED!" he shouted. We all jumped. _What the fuck is this?_ "WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO WITNESS THE UNION OF, STATE YOUR NAME PLEASE," he shouted at Jasper, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Um, Jasper Whitlock."

"WHAT? SPEAK UP SON, I'M A LITTLE HARD OF HEARING." _You don't fucking say._

"JASPER WHITLOCK." Jasper stated much louder.

"CASPER?" _Oh, are you fucking kidding me?_

"JASPER! JUH! JASPER!"

The minister nodded. "OK. CASPER AND…" he shouted, pointing at me.

"ISABELLA SWAN!"

"ESMERALDA?"

"BELLLL-UHHH!" Fuck!

"WE ARE GATHERED HERE THIS EVENING TO JOIN CASPER AND STELLA INTO HOLY MATRIMONY AND TO HONOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO ONE ANOTHER…"

My ears were already starting to ring; I could only imagine how it sounded to the vamps in the room with their supersonic hearing. I glanced at Jasper who had his nose wrinkled and brow furrowed. To my left, Rose and Char's faces held similar expressions, and to Jazz's right, Peter was silently laughing his ass off. Of course. Emmett's face was frozen in a wide-eyed WTF expression, gaping at the minister. A quick glance over my shoulder earned me the sight of Lara just about falling out of her chair, tears running down her face and clutching her stomach. Ben wasn't doing so much better. _Because this is the way my fucking life goes._

After Jazz and I screamed our vows at each other, and Lara had fully executed a complete ROFLMAO maneuver, the drunk fucking bitch, it was time to exchange rings. I started to scream at the minister that we didn't have any rings, when Rose stopped me and handed me a simple platinum men's wedding band. "Where did this come from?" I asked, taking the ring.

"I was able to swing by Tiffany's before they closed," Jasper whispered. He slipped a smaller version of the band on my left ring finger. "WITH THIS RING, I THEE WED!"

I repeated his action, my voice cracking at the end because shit, this was a lot of shouting.

"BY THE POWER VESTED IN ME BY THE STATE OF NEVADA, I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU HUSBAND AND WIFE. YOU MAY KISS YOUR BRIDE!"

"Stella," Jasper murmured, smiling that lazy grin and taking me in his arms.

"Oh, Casper," I purred, and we kissed.

"CONGRATULATIONS KIDS, YOU MAKE A BEAUTIFUL COUPLE. PAY AT THE DOOR!"

Best wedding ever.

We had the limo drop me, Jazz, Peter, and Lara back at the hotel, while Rose, Emmett, Peter, and Char decided to go cruise the Strip in it for a while longer. I would be fucking amazed if we didn't have to bail one of them out of jail by night's end.

We said our goodbyes to Lara and Ben in the lobby. They were leaving on their honeymoon to Maui bright and early in the morning, and were then headed back to L.A. I didn't know when or if I'd be seeing Lara again. Now that Jasper and I were married, I wasn't sure how much longer I wanted to wait for him to change me. I hugged her as tight as I could. "I'm gonna miss you so fucking much. I'm glad we were able to do this together; we'll always have this."

"I love you Bells. You and Jasper are so good together, I'm so happy for you. I'm really gonna miss you too. BBFFE, right?" Tears were starting to run down her cheeks. Oh, my cheeks were wet too. Dammit.

"Best bitches for fucking ever, Lara. Always."

In the elevator, we embraced one last time and pulled away, promising to keep in touch with phone calls, texts, emails, whatever, and try to visit each other as much as possible. I knew I was going to be able to uphold only part of that agreement, and not for very long. It broke my heart a little. As the doors opened to their floor, Jasper shook hands with Ben, hugged Lara, and with a last little wave they stepped out, the doors closing between us.

A sob broke out of me and Jasper hugged me close to him. "Shhh, darlin', don't cry. I'm still following your lead Bella. We don't do anything until you're ready to do it." He kissed me on my forehead.

"I know, Jazz. Shit, tonight changed everything though; I'm your wife now. I didn't think it would be any different, but it is. I don't want to wait much longer." I decided I was going to visit Renee first. She and I weren't very close anymore, but I needed to see her one last time. After that, it would be time for my eternity to begin.

We arrived to our floor and stepped out of the elevator. Jasper took my hand as we walked to our door. "It doesn't all have to be decided tonight." He slid the card key in its slot, turned the handle, and then picked me up to carry me over the threshold as per tradition. "Mrs. Whitlock." He kissed me as we passed through the doorway.

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," I murmured as he placed me on my feet.

"Me too," he said, already working on my zipper down my back.

"Whatcha doin' Jazz?"

"Just what does it look like I'm doing Bella?" He peppered kisses along the nape of my neck and my shoulders as he pushed my dress down to the floor.

"I thought maybe we could talk first. You know, maybe watch a little TV…" I was totally yanking his chain and he knew it.

"Hush woman, we got a marriage to consummate." He was now in front of me, his tongue dragging along my collarbone, his hands behind me unhooking my bra.

"Jasper?"

"Mmmm?" His nose was nestled between my breasts.

"I love you."

"I love you too, darlin'. Now hush before I stuff something in your mouth to shut you up."

"Jazz?"

"Mmm?"

"I like the sound of that."

"Me too."


	22. Chapter 22

This weekend marks one year since I first started posting Sassafrass Junction, which is so hard to believe. The irony that I'm in the process of re-posting it on its anniversary is not lost on me. So, I just want to say to those of you who've been with me since the beginning, and are enjoying your 2nd, 3rd, and in a few cases 5th read of this story, thanks so much for sticking with me over the last year. You are why I'm doing this. And if you're new to this story, thanks for sticking with me thus far.

I'm pretty sure bythis point in the story I'd met my wifey Mynxi who rescued me from my grammaticals and typos, so I'm now pleased to give her props for her beta-prowess for the following chapter, and the rest that follow it.

SM owns all the Twilight peoples, I own their fuckery.

**Jasper**

I woke up my bride around nine the next morning so we could get packed. Our flight to Phoenix left at noon. I couldn't get over the fact that we were flying home as a married couple, something that hadn't even crossed our minds three days ago when we'd flown here. I had watched her sleep all night; once I let her go to sleep, that is. She was right; everything had changed at the moment we said, er, yelled, "I do." I chuckled to myself thinking about that fucked up ceremony. If nothing else, it certainly made it a memorable event.

We had a lot to discuss now; things that we probably should've discussed beforehand, but certain things were a given and were going to occur anyway. The question now was the timeline; Bella's change, for example. I wasn't going to rush her on that. If she wanted more time for things like being able to visit Lara, she could have it.

My number one concern at the moment was her job. I'd tolerated it, being respectful of her independence and all that, but that was as my girlfriend. Getting married was a major leap toward permanence in our relationship. The only thing left was to make her a vampire. I didn't quite understand why I was somewhat okay with the idea of my girlfriend dancing on a bar for a room full of people lusting after her, but to think of my wife doing it was… well, it really kinda pissed me off. And I wasn't sure how well my insisting she quit her job was going to be received by her. She's fiercely independent and hated being told what to do. In _most_ cases, I corrected myself with a smirk.

No, this subject had to be broached carefully but clearly. She certainly didn't need to work for the money, I had plenty of that. In fact, my Vegas winnings, all six figures of them, would be the first deposit in Bella Whitlock's 'funny-money' bank account. If she wanted to continue to work I had no objection, but she really needed to get a new job and that stipulation was not up for debate.

I heard her rustling around in the bathroom, having finished her shower. "How you doin' in there, darlin'?"

She popped her head out the door, towel on her head, holding her toothbrush. "I'm good baby. I'll be ready in about twenty minutes, okay?" She smiled at me and ducked back into the bathroom. I let my mind wander through my thoughts again as she finished getting ready.

Our living situation needed to be addressed too. It didn't seem right to shuttle between two places anymore. Do we stay at her place with Rose and Emmett? Do we move in with Peter and Char? Do we even stay in Phoenix? What about Rose and Emmett? I really loved having them so close again, and hoped they would continue sticking around. I was sure that Carlisle and Esme missed them too, but this wasn't the first time we'd lived separately from the family. Hell, it was a relief to not have to be doing the fucking high school thing again; if I had my way about it, I was done with high school for good. College was a thought. Hmm. I wondered if Bella would consider college? That might be the way to go. We could stay put in Phoenix if she wanted, or move on to wherever she wanted to enroll. I wouldn't mind taking a few courses again myself. I'd bet Peter and Char would be game for it too; it would be easy enough for the six of us to do.

My train of thought was broken as my wife stepped out of the bathroom, managing to look breathtaking in her favorite tattered jeans, a snug faded ASU t-shirt and a pair of flip flops, with her hair wound up in a bun. She was a vision; I loved this woman so much it hurt. She seemed confused by the expression on my face. "What?" she asked suspiciously.

I crossed the room to her in a flash, and hugged her tight to me. "You, Mrs. Whitlock, that's 'what'. You're beautiful."

"Oh, is that all?" she quipped and rolled her eyes.

"Is that all," I scoffed before I sealed her mouth with mine. I took one of her cute little butt cheeks in each hand and squeezed her tighter against me, and my second-in-command took notice. She felt my arousal and let out a little moan, sucking on my tongue. I wondered if we had time for one last-

My phone buzzed. I sighed and pulled it from my pocket.

_Put ur dick away. Lobby in 5. –PW_

"Hold that thought 'til we get home, Darlin'. It's time to go."

The flight back to Phoenix was short and Bella slept through most of it. She hadn't really gotten much sleep last night, or the night before for that matter, I thought with pride. A few minutes after she'd fallen asleep, Peter leaned across the aisle to grill me on everything I'd spent the morning thinking about. He agreed it was probably best she quit the bar soon, for the sake of my sanity as well as public welfare in general.

"College is a good idea. You can count us in, Char's been talking about wanting to go back anyway."

**Bella**  
As we left the airport, I thought about how good it was to be home and how fucking _insane_ it was to be coming home as Jasper's wife. I'd spent the morning thinking about what was to come. We had a lot to figure out now. Where do we live as husband and wife? It wouldn't do to split time between homes anymore. I liked being so close to my new family unit, even Petey and his smart ass. I knew I didn't want to move away from any of them. That topic would probably warrant a family discussion.

I was also pretty sure my choice in career was on the chopping block. I had a hunch Jasper wasn't gonna be all that down with his wife dancing on top of a bar. If I thought he had jealousy issues before, I was sure they'd just increased tenfold. Anyway, with Lara gone, there was nothing tying me to the Junction anymore. It was a fun place to work, but it wasn't like I'd planned to work there forever. It was just a job. I guess money was no longer an issue (_holy shit, I'm rich bee-atch!_) but I wasn't really ready to give up working either. What would I do?

And then there was my change. I would see Renee and make my peace with her, and after that… well, we'd figure it out.

We stopped first to drop me, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett off at my place. "You know, our house is plenty big enough for y'all to stay with us," Peter said to us as we unloaded our luggage from his Tahoe. "You too, Emmett, Rose; y'all are family too. Why don't you guys discuss it? Your lease is just about up anyway, isn't it Stella?" He grinned at my glare. He'd taken to using the name bestowed on me by that fucking decrepit clergyman.

"Wow, thanks Peter," said Emmett, shaking his hand.

"Yeah man," Jasper said, giving him a man hug. "We've got lots to talk about, privately between Bella and me, and also as a family. I'll call you later okay?"

Once inside, Jazz and I excused ourselves to _our_ room, as Emmett settled on the couch, controller in hand and Rose curled up next to him with a magazine.

I settled back on the bed with a sigh, and Jasper lay down next to me on his side, facing me, his head propped in his hand. "Well," he stated.

"Yeah," I replied.

"What do you-" we both said at the same time, and then laughed.

"You go first," Jasper said.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking Jazz," I started.

"You aren't regrettin' marryin' me are you?" he asked, only half-joking.

"Fuck no, of course not. As fucked up as that wedding was, last night was the greatest night of my life." I leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. "But we need to figure out where we go from here. Shit that we probably should've discussed before now, but I'm sure we can do this anyway. I think Peter had a good idea, moving in with him and Char. Their house is huge and it doesn't make sense to shuttle back and forth anymore. Besides, it's only a matter of time before Emmett throws a controller through the wall into Mrs. Beeseley's living room."

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Emmett's voice boomed from the other room.

"Inside voice, Em," I said. "And butt out, grown ups are talking."

"I'm okay with it if you are Darlin'. I think it's a good idea too," Jasper said.

"So do we," Emmett chimed in.

"EMMETT!" Jasper and I yelled.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll butt out." The volume of the video game went up significantly. I sighed.

"He's trying to give us privacy," Jasper murmured.

"I know," I said. "I guess it's no biggie now since we're moving out soon." I smiled at Jazz.

"So, next order of business," began Jasper. He looked hesitant. I knew what was coming. "I know how you enjoy your independence Bella; your strength is one of the reasons why I love you so much. But I need to know, just how much do you enjoy working at the Junction?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but he interrupted me before I could.

"I don't want you to get mad at me, darlin', but I've thought about this a lot and I just can't see anyway around it. I can't have you working there anymore. It was one thing when you were my hot girlfriend, but now you're my hot wife, my mate I will be spending eternity with. It shouldn't make a difference, but it does. I can't stand by anymore and let those people lust after you, objectify you. You're mine."

I looked at him when he finished. His eyes showed me how serious he was on the subject, and that he didn't plan on budging from his stance, not that I planned to try. "Are you finished?" I asked. He nodded once, his expression solemn.

"I'm giving my two week notice tomorrow night, Jazz. I knew that working there was no longer going to be an option, and really I'm fine with it. But you need to understand this: I'm not going to stay home and turn into Sally Homemaker. If you appreciate my independence, then you'll understand that I need to find something else to do to allow me to keep it. I just don't know what that is yet."

"I didn't marry you to turn you into Sally Homemaker," he said with a chuckle. "I love you for who you are and that certainly is _not_ who you are." We kissed, and he held me for a bit. "I have a suggestion though, would you like to hear it?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" It wasn't like I had any ideas.

"How do you feel about school? Going to college? We can go wherever you want, you can study whatever you want, and maybe figure out what you want to do from there." He watched me, stroking my cheek while I thought about his offer.

While I'd never regretted having Tyler, I did regret having to give up my scholarship to UW. I'd worked hard to get it, but after all that had happened and the move here, I'd lost my desire to go to school. I'd settled. I didn't have to do that anymore.

"What a fucking great idea! Oh my God, Jazz, that's perfect! So wait, you're going to enroll in college too?"

He grinned, kissing me on the forehead. "Yeah, I'm enrollin'. If you thought I was gonna turn you loose alone on a campus full of horny college boys, you're nuts."

I rolled my eyes. "Jealous bastard."

"You probably should get used to that, darlin'. I told you that from the beginning."

"That you did. So yeah, college. I'll start thinking about that. Do you think the others…?" I trailed off. I didn't want to ditch my crew.

"Package deal, sugar. Whether they enroll or not, they'll be coming with, so I hope that's all right with you."

"He's right Bells. And you don't have a choice." This time it was Rose adding her two cents from the other room.

"Works for me." That was easier than I thought.

We spent all day Tuesday packing the apartment, and I gave notice to the landlord we'd be vacating by the end of the week. That evening I also gave Sammy my two-week notice.

He seemed a little sad about losing both me and Lara within such a short period of time. She and I had been a big draw for his customer base.

"There's lots more hotties in Phoenix that can dance and sling drinks," I teased him.

He nodded. "I suppose, but there's only one Bella Swan."

I heard a quiet growl from the end of the bar, where Jasper sat scowling. "Whitlock," I corrected Sammy. "It's Bella Whitlock now." I smiled at Jazz, who softened his expression a little. Very little.

Sammy looked at Jasper, then back at me, frowning a little. "He gonna be here all evening?"

"Yeah, probably," I said wryly.

"Hmph," Sammy grunted. "Kinda possessive isn't he? You're alright with that?" He whispered to me.

I heard another low growl and I looked pointedly in Jasper's direction. His expression didn't change. I turned my attention back to Sammy. "I'm more than okay with it, Sammy. I belong to him; he belongs to me, end of discussion. And yes, he's probably going to be a fixture for my final two weeks here, just as he has been for the last three months. If that's a problem, I can leave now."

Sammy raised his hands in surrender. "Alright Bella, calm down. Fine. But could you ask him to maybe sit at one of the tables? I don't want him scaring away the customers."

I looked back at Jazz who hadn't budged and was still looking a little pissed. "Um, I'll try. But I'm not making any promises."

Sammy sighed and walked back to his office. Jasper sat at the bar all evening.

Occasionally I'd hear him hiss when guys would order drinks from me, usually when I was being hit on during the ordering process, which really was status quo for my job. It comes with territory. During the one bar dance of the night, I caught his eyes as I danced and his expression was almost as if he were in pain. He was really having a hard time tonight, poor guy.

The minute I clocked out, he grabbed my hand and pulled me from behind the bar. "Whoa, what's the hurry?"

"Let's go," he said in a clipped tone of voice. Uh oh.

"What's wrong Jazz?" I asked as he quickly crossed the parking lot, pulling me behind him. I had to run a little in my four-inch heels to keep up with him. He took me around the passenger side, but instead of opening the door, he pressed me against it, placing on hand against the window on either side of my head. His eyes were black. "Um, Jazz?"

"_Mine,_" he said in a low growl. _Oh_. He leaned in and kissed me fiercely on the mouth.

"I know, Jazz, I…" I started, but the look in his eyes stopped me. I knew better than to say anything more. He removed his hands from the window, and moved me away from the door so he could open it.

"Get in." I complied without a word.

He remained silent for the trip home. I noticed he wasn't taking me to my apartment but to Peter and Char's, our new home together. I didn't question it though. This was the Major seated beside me now; the side of him that was his most dominant and aggressive persona and, to the wrong people or vampires, his most lethal. Jasper had had a much more difficult evening than I'd realized.

We walked up to, and inside of, the house much the way we'd walked to his truck back at the bar – me stumbling behind him as he pulled me along. We passed by Peter as we crossed the living room. "Hey kids, how was work?" he asked cheerily, looking at me. Then he got a good look at Jasper. Recognition dawned in his eyes, the smile faded and he looked away, nodding silently. We continued to our room.

I saw several boxes of my things stacked against one wall. I guess I was moved out of my apartment now; it was probably how Rose and Emmett had spent the evening.

I heard the door shut and the sound of the lock clicking into place. I turned to face the Major, who stood tall in front of the door, his black eyes burning into me.

"Jazz," I whispered.

He shook his head slowly at me, an indication I wasn't to speak. He walked toward me, slowly, as though he were stalking his prey. He stopped when his chest was nearly touching mine. He leaned his head down as though to kiss me, and whispered near my ear. "Do you realize what the last eight hours have been like for me?" His voice was quiet, menacing.

I shuddered, a little afraid yet a little turned on as well. "I'm sor-" He snapped his head back and narrowed his eyes at me. I closed my mouth and looked toward the floor.

"That's better," he continued quietly. "I have spent the last several hours subjected to over a hundred men lusting after my wife. Listened to the comments made about the things they'd like to do with you. Listened to them hit on you and _you fucking flirting with them in return."_ He was speaking through clenched teeth as he finished. My mouth went dry.

"You know I didn't mean…" I spoke quickly without thinking, stopping as I heard his warning growl. He was pissed.

"Don't speak again until I say you can," he warned. "You may have not meant anything when you flirted back, but the fact remains the same. It's unacceptable. I don't care what you have to tell _Sammy,_" he spat my boss's name, "but tonight was your last night. Do you realize how close I came to committing mass murder tonight?"

I looked at him and nodded hesitantly.

"You may speak."

"I'm so sorry, Jasper," I whispered. "I didn't mean for you to feel that way. You know I'd never do anything intentionally to upset you." I looked back down to the floor as tears welled in my eyes. He placed his finger under my chin and tipped my head up so that I was looking at him. While his eyes were still black, the fire in them had receded.

"Bella," he spoke, his voice gentler, "This world is your oyster. I have given you myself and will give you anything in this world that your heart desires. All I ask is that this," he ran his hands down my body, from my shoulders, down my sides grazing my breasts, and stopping at my waist. He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled my hips against his hardness. "This belongs to me. Your heart, your soul, your sex, are _mine_. You cannot put me through that again. Someone _will_ get hurt next time."

"I promise, Jasper," I rose up on my tiptoes to touch my lips to his. "Never again. I'll call Sammy tomorrow and tell him I won't be back. I love you." I began to kiss along his jaw line, leaving open-mouthed kisses as I trailed down his neck. "Can I show you just how much I love you?" I stopped and glanced up to his eyes, asking permission to continue.

"You may."

I unbuttoned his shirt, kissing his chest as I pulled the shirt open and shoved it down his shoulders gently. I kissed each scar, flicking my tongue over his nipples as I passed each one. I continued kissing down his stomach, dropping down onto my knees in front of him and unbuckled his belt. He helped me push down his jeans and boxers, stepping out of them, and then he was naked in front of me. I took him into my mouth, making love to his body with my tongue. He wove his hand through my hair, gently moving my head with a low hiss.

Suddenly he stopped my movements. "Stand up," he said.

I released him from my mouth and he pulled me up to my feet. He had the hem of my black tank top in his fingers. "Off," he ordered. I raised my arms and he pulled it up over my head. With a flick of his fingers, my bra followed suit. He unbuttoned my denim mini skirt, shoving it and my panties to the floor in one motion.

"Turn around," he commanded quietly. I turned, now facing the bed. His hands traced down my back, coming around to my front to cover my breasts, squeezing them firmly. I moaned at his touch. He stepped his body forward against mine, and I could feel his hardness pressing against me. "Bend over."

I bent forward bracing my upper body with my hands on the bed. I felt his fingers stroke my center, checking my readiness for him, and then he entered me swiftly with a thrust that would've sent me flying forward onto the bed had he not been gripping my hips. He began to move with quick and steady strokes.

"Whose?" he uttered as I gasped and panted at his thrusts. I didn't answer quickly enough and he thrust into me harder. "_Whose?"_

"Yours," I whispered, breathing heavily due to his now frenetic pace.

"WHOSE?" he barked, thrusting into me even harder.

"Yours!" I cried.

"Again."

"Yours!" I began to quiver.

"And who am I?" he asked almost casually.

"Jasper," I moaned, feeling my insides start to clench.

"_Who?"_ he growled.

"Jasper!" I cried loudly.

"_I didn't quite hear you,"_ he growled, as he reached his hand around me and pinched my swollen nub.

"OH! JASPER. FUCKING. WHITLOCK!" I screamed as I came forcefully.

"You're goddamn right I am. And. You. Belong. To. _ME!"_ And with one final thrust he released into me with a roar.

I collapsed forward onto the bed, all energy drained from me and he flopped down beside me, pulling me tight to his side. We lay there like that for a moment while I caught my breath, and he began to stroke my hip. I looked down and there were finger-shaped marks that would soon form into bruises.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Yes," I replied.

"I'd say that I'm sorry, but I don't think that I am."

"I don't think that you should be."

He leaned forward to kiss me above my ear. "I love you Bella Whitlock. Always."

As I faded off to sleep I heard Emmett's voice down the hall. "Sorry about your wall Peter. We'll fix that tomorrow."


	23. Chapter 23

Have you recovered from Major Whitlock? Unf. Yes he's a possessive bastard; I think he warned us of this, didn't he?

Beta'd by my sweet, sweet Mynxi.

SM's characters, my fuckery.

**Jasper**  
The next morning I drove into town with Peter and Emmett to the home repair store to get supplies to fix the Rose-shaped crease in the wall she and Emmett had made in their room last night during my and Bella's… discussion. I figured it was partly my responsibility to help him fix it.

"Maybe we should make sure the next house has reinforced steel walls if you're gonna keep this shit up," Peter cracked.

"Sorry man," I said.

"Shit dude, did you see the smile on Rose's face this morning?" Emmett grinned. Rose was especially chipper this morning, now that I thought about it. "Don't be sorry Jazz, a little damaged dry wall is definitely worth that."

I'd left Bella to take care of calling her former boss and unpacking her belongings that Rose and Emmett had moved for her last night. Working at vampire speed they had the house all cleaned out and spotless by midnight. All that was left do was turn in the keys.

When we arrived back at the house, we found Rose and Char sitting on each side of Bella on our bed looking concerned, while Bella looked extremely upset with tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong? What happened? Did Sammy say something to you because I swear I will kill that motherfucker." That asshole had pissed me off last night during his conversation with Bella and I had to admit I was looking for an excuse to put the fear of Jasper in him.

Rose spoke. "It's not Sammy, Jasper. That actually went fine. She received a rather upsetting email."

"Jake?" I asked "Aw, darlin' did you get a picture today?"

Bella sniffed and shook her head. Char looked at Bella questioningly, who nodded, and then Char handed me what appeared to be a printed out email.

_Bella,_

_So things have been going well with Daniel, the PA I've been seeing. I need to be honest with you so you can be honest with me. Daniel is my imprint. You know what that means and what that implies. I've been phasing for nearly a year now. I'm sorry I never told you but it took me quite a while to come to terms with my fate. Daniel has helped a lot with this._

_I very recently accompanied Daniel to a convention he had to attend in Las Vegas. We stayed at the Bellagio. You can only imagine my surprise when shortly after I caught and traced the scent of __**them,**__ I spotted you with them. Not only were you laughing and joking with that group of bloodsuckers, but you were pretty much wrapped around one with his tongue down your throat. Would you care to explain that "Mrs. Whitlock?" That's right, I heard him call you that, and I saw the shiny new ring on your left hand. It took every ounce of self-restraint I had, not to mention a lot of talking down from my boyfriend, to keep from making a very ugly scene in that hotel lobby. _

_So please clue me in Bella. What the FUCK are you doing palling around with those leeches again? And you've __**married**__ one? Are you fucking kidding me?_

_I haven't said anything to Jake or the rest of the pack yet but, as you are well aware, I won't be able to keep this secret for very long._

_I need answers Bella and I need them now. It's obvious you are not yet one of them, but now that you've married one, I'm sure that's going to change, right? Pardon the fucking pun. If I'm correct, he and two of the others with your group are Cullens, and are therefore subject to the treaty. If you don't know what that means, I'm sure they can explain it to you._

_I'm supposed to meet with the pack on Thursday morning. It'd be in your, and __**their**__, best interest to respond to me before then. It's your best chance at getting your side of the story to them as soon as they find out about this. _

_Help me understand Bells and help me help them to understand._

_Yours,  
Leah_

"Fuck!" I crumpled the paper and flung it at the wall. Peter and Emmett growled reflexively to my reaction.

"What's going on?" Emmett growled. Emmett was ready to protect his little sister from whatever caused her to be so upset. Rose stood and went over to her increasingly agitated spouse, explaining the situation to him quickly. Peter, already cognizant of the situation, was now pacing the floor, deep in thought and mumbling to himself.

I gathered a sobbing Bella into my arms, stroking her hair and dousing her with calm.

"Fucking knock it off Jazz!" she snapped. I reined the calm back in. "You know there's only reason why I even care that she knows, that they know, and that's Tyler. Once Jake hears this, he'll cut me off. No more Tyler updates, no more pictures. Done. And as much as those pictures always hurt to see, it's gonna hurt a hell of a lot more when they stop coming. FUCK!" she screamed. Her frustration was gut-wrenching.

"Tell her everything." Peter had stopped pacing and was looking at Bella.

"What?" she asked, blinking her swollen eyes.

"Tell her everything," he repeated.

"You sure?" I asked him. I really didn't want a war with the wolves.

"What's there to lose?" he asked. "They'll have her side of the situation, and know that she wasn't coerced or manipulated into anything. They still won't be happy about it, but it could make the difference over whether or not it's open season on Cullens or Whitlocks should any of us choose to step foot back in Forks. But you need to be completely upfront with her on your desire to be changed."

"If nothing else, we don't go back to Forks," I said. Peter was right; we had nothing to lose at this point. Well, except for Tyler. Bella was most likely about to lose her son for good.

At Peter's urging, Bella agreed to call Leah instead of send an email. Since the pack becomes of one mind when they're in wolf form, her conversation with Leah would be repeated, in her own words, to the rest of the pack when Leah saw them.

She grabbed her pack of cigarettes and her cell phone and headed for the deck. She stopped and turned to me. "Come with me?" she asked.

"I can give you your privacy to speak, darlin'," I told her.

"I need you by me while I do this. Please? I know it's gonna hurt, and I'd like your help to get through it." I stood and crossed the room to take her hand.

"Of course."

**Bella**  
I scrolled through my contacts list on my phone to find a number I hadn't called in well over three years.

"_Bella,"_ she answered quietly.

"Hi Leah."

"_Just a minute, let me go where I can talk."_ I waited, hearing muted voices and then the sound of a door closing. _"You there?"_

"Yeah. I got your email."

"_I figured. You wouldn't be calling otherwise. So what the fuck Bella? Did you learn nothing from the last leech that broke your heart?"_

"It's not like that, Leah."

"_He's looking for you though, leech number 1. Did you know that?"_

"Who, Edward?"

"_Whatever, the first one that destroyed you. The pretty boy."_

"I know. I saw him."

"_You didn't tell that to Jake."_

"I don't tell Jake a lot of things, obviously."

"_Spill it Bella."_ Leah was pissed at me. We'd grown close in Forks and I knew that my friend was hurt by my deception of something she considered to be pretty fucking serious.

I explained to her all that had occurred from the night Jazz first showed up in my bar, to the fucked up family reunion of sorts that included Edward's visit and subsequent ass-kicking, to our impromptu Vegas wedding. I only left out where I was living and the name of the bar I'd worked at. If this wasn't well-received by the pack, I didn't want us to be found quite so easily.

She was quiet for a moment after I finished speaking. _"Did he really kick Edward's ass?"_

"And partially dismembered it. Believe me when I say Edward is no longer a problem."

"_It sounds like you really do love each other."_ This was progress; maybe it wasn't so hopeless after all.

"This is as close to imprinting as it gets, Leah. I knew that first night, I think, that he was going to be it for me. I was drawn to him instantly. I cannot be without him." I met his eyes and smiled, which he returned.

"_What about becoming one of them?"_

"It's my destiny Leah. I wouldn't have married him if I didn't plan to become like him."

"_When?"_

"I don't know yet. He isn't rushing me, but I don't want to wait much longer. Physically we're close to the same age. I'd like to keep it that way."

She was quiet again for a few beats. _"He can't bite you Bella. None of the Cullens can, it will nullify the treaty."_ Jasper looked frustrated at her words, and then a thought occurred to me.

"What if a Cullen didn't bite me? What if I had other means of changing?" Jasper looked at me confused. I held a hand up to him, telling him to wait.

"_Huh. I don't know. I just know the treaty specifies that those identified as members of the Cullen coven are prohibited from biting humans, no exceptions."_

"Then the treaty will not be broken. You have my word." Comprehension dawned on Jasper's face, and he grinned at me shaking his head.

"_If you say so. The pack, and more specifically Jake, is still gonna be pissed about this. He'll never let you see Ty again, Bells."_

"I don't get to see him now," I said petulantly.

"_Cut the shit Bella, you know what I mean."_

It was my turn to be quiet. Jazz squeezed my hand and I felt the wave of love he sent to me. "You're right, Leah. I'm sorry. I know it's very likely Jake is going to cut me off from Tyler for good and that thought is killing me. However I'd decided long ago when I left that Tyler was never going to be physically part of my life. I've cherished how much of him Jake has shared with me up to now. I've printed and kept every email and every picture and have cried countless fucking tears over them. Tyler has his dad and mom, he doesn't need me. If Jake cuts me off then I'll at least take that knowledge with me as comfort. All I wanted was a happy life for my boy. And if he ever does find out about me, then maybe you could pass that on to him, and tell him that he was, and always will be, in my heart, alive or undead."

I could hear Leah crying. _"I know you love him Bella, I've never doubted that. But this is something I think Jake needs to hear, and now he will." _She paused. _"Will you keep in touch with me? I mean, after you…"_ I knew what she was getting at and it touched my heart.

"Won't they kick you out of the club for being friends with a leech, Leah? Take away your fucking toaster oven or something?"

"_They can have my fucking toaster oven, Daniel is an excellent cook," _she said with a teary-sounding laugh.

"I'd like very much for us to stay in touch, Leah, thanks. And thanks for understanding."

"_Sure, sure. You should call more Bells. It's nice to hear your voice."_

"I will Leah. Love you."

"_Love you too.. I'll be in touch soon and let you know the pack's reaction. Take care of yourself, okay?"_

We said goodbye and when I hung up, I got up and sat in Jasper's lap. He kissed the top of my head. "You know you're a genius right?"

"I know this," I said. "But why are you asking?"

"So you're gonna let that wise-cracking Yoda-wannabe motherfucker change you huh?"

I pulled away and looked at him. "You're not jealous are you?"

"Fuck yeah I'm jealous," he said, his eyes flashing. "I wanted it to be my venom flowing through your veins."

I looked away from him, feeling bad I'd upset him again.

He took my chin in his hand and turned my face back toward his. "But it's also necessary for the well-being of our families. I get it. And if I were to have to choose anyone else I'd rather have change you besides myself, it would be Peter. I created him, so in a way, you'll still have my venom in you. It'll have to be good enough."

I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Sorry about Tyler," he said quietly.

"I know. It's out of my hands now."

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too Jazz." I turned my head and kissed him. "Come on, let's go inside."

We walked into the kitchen where Peter was leaned against the counter. He opened his arms to me. "Come here, sweetheart. Give yer poppa some sugar."

Peter didn't even see Jazz's fist coming. Some fucking Yoda he was.

The next morning, the guys headed back to the home repair store, this time to look at cabinets and countertops to redo the kitchen. A large section of which was destroyed when Jasper attacked Peter for his "poppa" remark. Peter seriously overestimated Jasper's level of bullshit tolerance when it came to matters concerning me. Either that or he was a really fucking slow learner.

What it came down to though was that Peter was honored by my choosing him to be my sire. "Surrogate," Jasper had corrected with a growl. Sigh.

While they were gone, and Rose and Char were engrossed in their own separate little tasks, I tried to distract myself by researching colleges I'd be interested in attending. The group had unanimously agreed that it would be my choice where we would go, although they did ask it be somewhere a little less sunny than Phoenix. Jazz, Emmett, and Rose were pretty much over having to be night-lurkers, though Peter and Char didn't seem to mind either way. I really didn't want to go back to the Pacific Northwest, especially now that the pack was likely pissed at us, so I was focusing my options mostly in the northeast. Columbia University, UPenn, Dartmouth, Boston College, and NYU were amongst my top picks. Since my vampires enjoyed a good nightlife, I figured we'd stay somewhere in or near a big city, but reasonable hunting options would also have to be close by.

I was reading up on the Cambridge area online when I saw I had a new email message. The clock in the corner of my laptop screen said it was shortly after noon. The meeting was over. I clicked on the message to open it.

_Bella,_

_I just got home. It wasn't pretty. I was the last to arrive to the meeting, and when I joined them, they all went silent as they took in my thoughts of our conversation last night and saw what I had witnessed in Vegas. Then all hell broke loose. Jake went ballistic and attacked me, pinning me down to the ground by my throat demanding I tell him where you live. As you are well aware, I didn't know the answer since you've never told me._

_Sam ordered him away from me and managed to calm everyone down. We started to discuss your desire to be changed, which briefly set Jake off again. Sam ordered him silent and then after much discussion it was decided that, while denouncing your decision to be turned, as long as it was not initiated by a member of the Cullen coven, the treaty would still be intact. _

_That said, I would STRONGLY caution you, and the rest of your new 'family' to stay the hell away from Forks. Jake is furious and is threatening to claim his rightful position as Alpha and take matters into his own hands. He said that if he catches you anywhere near Forks or LaPush, in the vicinity of __**his**__ son you will die, regardless of your mortality status. I'm sure you understand that he is cutting off any further contact with you, especially regarding Tyler, and Sam has ordered I comply with that as well, as far as matters with Tyler are concerned. You see, I had considered continuing the updates about him myself so you wouldn't have to lose that, but they all saw that and it was immediately quashed. I am still allowed to remain in contact with you otherwise, but I have a feeling it's being allowed for the purposes of surveillance. So just so you know, don't ever tell me anything you don't want them to hear. I hate that it's like that, and I'm probably going to get my ass kicked for telling you that, but I think it's only fair you're aware of this._

_I'm sorry Bella._

_Love, Leah_

As I felt my heart breaking, I saw another new email alert come up on my screen. Jake. This couldn't be good.

_Dear Leech-loving lying fucking whore,_

_Just in case your traitor BFF doesn't pass on the message, this is your only warning._

_Stay the fuck out of Forks. Better yet, stay the fuck away from Washington. If I catch you, or your leech husband anywhere in the vicinity, I will end you. You're already dead as far as I'm concerned, you fucking bitch. It will only be a matter of disposing of the pieces, I promise you._

_Sincerely,  
Your worst fucking nightmare_

My mind and body were in agony. I knew he'd take it poorly, but for those words to come from someone I'd once loved so much… I couldn't take it.

I picked up my cell phone, and unable to speak, I sent a text to Jasper.

_I need u. pls hurry. B_

I walked into the kitchen, unnoticed by Char and Rose, and took a bottle of Jim Beam out of my liquor cupboard, along with a glass. Grabbing my pack of smokes I stepped out onto the deck, sat down and poured three fingers of bourbon into the glass. I drained it, and then I poured three more. I took another drink and then lit a cigarette as the numbness began to take over.


	24. Chapter 24

Last chapter for tonight, my lovelies. Wanna beat Jake's ass for that friendly little email? Yeah, you're not the only one.

Beta'd by my lil' sugarbritches, Mynxi.

SM's characters, my what-the-actual-fuckery.

**Jasper**  
We were in the cabinetry section of the home repair store debating oak versus mahogany when my phone buzzed.

_I need u. pls hurry. –B_

"We need to go. Now!" I managed to walk out of that store at a somewhat human pace, with Emmett and Peter on my heels.

"What's the rush, bro? Is Bella ok?" Emmett asked, concerned.

"Something's wrong. She sent me a text saying she needed me home now, I don't know what's going on yet." I called her cell phone as we peeled out of the parking lot in Peter's Tahoe. It just rang until her voice mail picked up. "I'm comin' right now, darlin'. Call me as soon as you get this."

I looked at Peter. "Drive faster." I then turned to Emmett, "Call Rose." Just then, his cell phone rang.

"Rose! What's going on, Jazz just got a weird text from Bella but she didn't pick up when he tried to call her."

I reached my hand out for the phone, which Emmett promptly placed in my hand.

"Rose?" I was doing my best to remain calm.

"_She's drunk Jasper. Really, really drunk and not in a good way."_ She sounded worried.

"I don't understand, what's going on there Rose?"

"_I heard her cell phone ringing outside; I knew she was out there, so I didn't understand why she didn't answer. I went out to see if she was ok and found her sitting on the deck halfway through a fifth of bourbon. That was a brand new bottle Jazz, and she hadn't been sitting out there that long. Anyway, when I came outside she was in the process of refilling her glass, and it didn't look like she was worrying about measuring anymore. I asked her what was wrong, why wasn't she answering her phone. She-"_ Rose paused.

"She _what_, goddammit!" I yelled. Emmett growled at me for the tone I used with his wife, which I ignored.

"_She chugged the glass of bourbon; drained it. And then she said, 'Because I'm dead.'"_

"What the fuck?" Why would she say something like that?

"_I don't know Jazz! That's what she said."_ Rose sounded distraught.

"Where is she now?"

"_Still on the deck. Char's with her."_

"Please tell me someone has taken that bottle from her." I was afraid she'd get alcohol poisoning at the rate she was drinking.

"_Well, Char tried but Bella went psycho on her, screamed at her to back the fuck off."_ Great, not only was she drunk but a raging drunk. What the fuck brought this on?

"Do you two forget that she is human and it should be fairly simple for the two of you to _take the fucking bottle away from her before she fucking drinks herself to death_?" I was nearly yelling again, which Emmett wasn't taking too kindly. I snapped my head around and his snarling stopped at my glare.

"_Okay, okay, we'll take the bottle, calm down Jazz. We just didn't want to upset her any further than she already is…"_

"WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING? GO GET THAT BOTTLE!"

_Click._

"Fuck!" I yelled at Peter. "Can't you drive this piece of shit any faster? I could run and be home by now!"

"Calm down, Jazz. It's broad daylight and there are humans all over the place."

As soon as we turned off of the main road, I jumped out of the passenger side before Peter had a chance to slow the vehicle down, and I ran for the house as fast as I could. I got inside and sensing no one there, I ran out back to the deck.

Char was clutching the bottle, now three-quarters empty, staring wide-eyed in the direction of Bella and Rose. I took in Bella's anguish and rage, which was amplified by her severe level of intoxication, and it was staggering. They were sitting on the floor of the deck; a chair was knocked over and the table had obviously been shoved aside. Rose was seated behind Bella with her long legs wrapped around Bella's waist and her arms wrapped around Bella's torso, pinning her arms to her sides and trying to hold her still as Bella continued to struggle, screaming "I'm dead!" over and over. Rose's cheek was resting on Bella's shoulder blade, shushing her and trying to soothe her.

I sent all three women a wave of calm, giving Bella a more concentrated dose. Bella's screams quieted to a whimper and her head lolled forward. "You can let her go now," I said to Rose as I stepped forward to scoop Bella into my arms.

"Get rid of that shit," I said to Char as I carried a now-sobbing Bella back inside the house. Emmett and Peter saw us as they came charging through the front door.

"Holy shit, Jazz, what happened to Bella?" Emmett cried, taking in Bella's state.

"I don't know. She's fucking shit-canned for starters," I laid her on the bed and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. "Bella-darlin? What's goin' on, sweetheart? Talk to me, tell Jazzy why you're so upset?"

She raised a hand and limply pointed toward her laptop on the desk by the window. Aw fuck, I should've known.

"The wolf pack meeting," said Peter. "Ah, shit."

"You're fuckin' fallin' asleep on the job there, Pete," I snapped as I crossed the room to read the screen. She had two messages open; one from Leah and one from Jake. I read Leah's first because I had a good feeling Jake's was just gonna piss me off. I read it loud enough for the vampires in the room to hear, but not loud enough for Bella's ears. Obviously it wasn't something she needed to hear again at the moment. When I got to the part where Leah mentioned Jake's threat to Bella, the room erupted in snarls, my own being the loudest. No wonder she got so upset, and I hadn't even gotten to Jake's yet. When I did read his, it was all I could do to not pulverize that machine in my sudden rage. Emmett risked his life and limbs by swooping in and snatching it out of my reach once he saw what I was about to do.

"What the fuck!" I roared at Emmett. My vision was red.

"Tyler, bro. She may still have some pictures or stories about him on here that she hasn't saved somewhere else. Don't take them from her."

I acquiesced, but ran outside to the woods behind the house because I was fucking _pissed_ and needed to break somebody or something right the fuck now. _How dare that fucking worthless piece of shit mutt threaten her, call her those names? He was going to 'end' her? Over my fucking pile of ashes; I was gonna rip that motherfucker to shreds and clean my teeth with his fucking bones. _A primal roar burst from within me, and then I heard movement behind me. I spun around and crouched, ready to attack.

"Easy, Major. It's just me, calm down alright?" Peter approached me cautiously.

I stood up from my crouching position, but was no where remotely near being calm yet. A couple of trees lay uprooted and destroyed in my wake, having fallen victim to my ire.

"Calm down? Did you not hear any of that fucking horseshit? HOW DARE HE? I should fly up to Forks tonight and end his life for him. She is the mother of his son; without her he wouldn't have that boy. And he treats her like that? As if she would ever cause harm to him, to any of them! Did you see her?" Peter nodded.

"Try _feeling_ it. That email fucking shattered her. Fuck it. I'm calling the airlines right now and I'm gonna fly up there and show that son of a bitch what a real ass-kicking is all about, Major Whitlock-style. Are you in?" I glared at Peter.

"No, I'm not," he replied calmly. _Why's he's so fuckin' chill about this?_

"Fine then, get the hell outta my way. I'll see you in a couple days."

He raised his hands. "Slow down, Whitlock."

"_Peter…" _He was getting on my damn nerves.

"Think about it. You go flyin' up there, half-cocked, what's gonna happen? Sure, you'd probably succeed in killing that fucker, but you'd also succeed in getting yourself killed. Are you so ready to make your wife a widow so soon?"

That stopped me.

"Even if the five us, and Carlisle, Esme, and Edward joined in, it wouldn't be without significant loss. This is what he wants; giving him an excuse to kill you and the rest of us. All I'm sayin' is give it some time. He's mad, you're mad, and both of y'all need to take a deep breath and try to be rational about this."

My phone buzzed. _"Listen to Peter. It doesn't end well if u go now. –A"_

Well, fuck. "So what do I do?"

"For starters, calm the fuck down, get your shit together, and go comfort your hot mess of a wife. And you'd better take a bucket with you because that Jim Beam should be making a comeback any time now. We'll figure out the other stuff later."

"All right then, come on." We ran back to the house. I put my hand on Peter's shoulder before we went inside. "Thanks man."

"S'what I'm here for Major."

We walked in and heard the sounds of wretching. "GROSS!" I heard Emmett holler.

Peter grinned. "I think that's your cue to go hose off the missus."

"Better get to it then," I said and headed toward the bedroom, passing Emmett, who possibly looked paler than normal, in the hall.

"She fuckin' puked, dude. That's the nastiest, freakiest shit I've ever seen."

Rose was in the bathroom with Bella, while Char was hauling out our odiferous bedding to the wash. "Thanks, Char," I told her quietly. She paused.

"I hate seeing her this way Jasper. I've never felt so helpless. The horrible things that mongrel said…"

I growled. "Please, Char. I just got somewhat calmed down."

"Sorry. I'm gonna get these washed up now. Go take care of your wife." She gave me a sad smile and continued on her way.

I went into the bathroom where I found Rose seated on the edge of the jetted bathtub looking after Bella, who was sitting on the floor in front of the toilet with her legs curled under her. Her eyes were closed and her cheek rested on the toilet seat ring; that didn't strike me as all that sanitary, but then again, neither was that vomit on her shirt.

Rose glanced up at me warily. "Better now?"

"Marginally. How's she doing?"

Rose started to speak, just as Bella groaned, turning her face into the toilet, and wretched some more. Emmett's right; that was pretty fucking disgusting.

Rose wrinkled her nose. "That's how she's doing. Can you take over from here? I really need to get some air."

I nodded. "Yeah go ahead, I got it from here. Thanks for taking care of her, Rose. I really appreciate it." I gave her a hug.

"She's my sister, Jazz. I'd do anything for her. Speaking of, when are we going to rip that fucking dog to shreds?"

I smirked. Rose and I really were like true siblings sometimes.

"Peter said we should wait and give it a little time," I told her. "Alice agreed." I showed the text to Rose. She frowned and opened her mouth to argue, but I interrupted her. "I know, sis, I'm ready to go torture and kill the bastard too, but Peter had a point."

Bella groaned again.

"We can talk about it later; you and Emmett go get out of here for awhile. He was looking pretty green for a vampire," I chuckled. She pursed her lips and left the room.

I squatted down on the floor next to Bella, stroking her hair away from her face. "Bella darlin'? Are you alright?"

She opened a bleary eye, but I could tell she was having a little trouble focusing on me. "Do I fucking look alright to you?" she slurred. "Fuck no, I'm not alright. According to Jake, I'm dead. Right now I think he might be right."

"Don't you pay any heed to what that son of a bitch said, Bella! If anyone is dead, it's his mangy fucking ass for talking to you that way!" I bit back a growl, trying to keep my rage at bay.

"Ugh, I know. What an asshole!" she said loudly, and then clutched her head and moaned. She was miserable.

"Come on, baby girl. Let's get you in the shower and clean you up. We'll deal with that asshole later."

I helped her sit up, noting the mark on her cheek from her face resting on the toilet ring for so long. "Can you hold your arms up for me?" She complied and I pulled the befouled shirt up over her head. Yuck.

"Alright now, let's get your britches off. Can you stand?"

She shrugged.

"How about you lie down for me, can you do that?" She slumped over to her side.

"Okaaay, I guess I can work with that." I picked up her legs and readjusted her so that she was on her back, and then started working her sweatpants and underwear down over her hips. "You hangin' in there?"

"Other than the room won't stop spinning, yeah," she mumbled.

Once her pants and underwear were off, I gently helped her sit back up so I could remove her bra. "Can you hold yourself upright for a second?"

She propped an elbow on the toilet seat. "Yep."

I quickly removed my clothes and flitted over to the shower to turn on the water, then was back to her just as quickly, scooping her up in my arms.

"Jesus Jasper! Slow the fuck down, you're gonna make me hurl again!" she groused.

"Don't hang that shit on me, woman. It sure as hell wasn't me that told ya to try to drink an entire fifth of bourbon. Just what the fuck were you thinkin' anyway?" I stepped us into our large walk-in shower, the multiple shower heads gently spraying us from various angles.

"You weren't here," she said in a small voice.

I hugged her tighter to me. "I know. I'm sorry about that."

"It hurt so much. How could he be so mean?" she wailed, sobbing into my shoulder.

"I don't know Bella. A death wish is my guess as to why. I won't lie; I'm about ready to go and murder Jacob Black, slowly and painfully."

She picked her head up from my shoulder and looked at me with her glassy eyes. "You can't."

"Excuse me?" She's still drunk and doesn't know what she's saying, because I _know_ she isn't forgiving that bastard already for what he just said to her.

"Put me down," she said quietly. I placed her carefully on her feet on to the floor. She staggered a little and clutched her head with both hands. I reached a hand out to steady her. "Ah fuck. I should fucking know better than to do that shit with bourbon." She looked up at me while still clutching her head. "You can't kill Jake."

"The hell I can't! Did you bump your head while you were stumbling around drunk out there? You know who I am and what I am capable of."

"Fuck you Jazz, I didn't bump my head. Prick! What I mean is that Jake is my son's father and you are not killing him."

_Did she actually just call me a prick?_ "That's funny, since he's ready to kill your ass on sight, whether you're human or not. Seems to me like he's not willing to extend his son's mother the same fucking courtesy you're offerin' to him." Was she fucking kidding me?

"I'm not Tyler's mother, Jasper; as far as Ty's concerned, Lexi is his mommy. She's all he's ever known and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to him if something happened to me; he wouldn't miss me. He would, however, miss his daddy and I'm not going to let you do that to him."

Damn it all to hell, she's as selfless as ever. I couldn't go against her, not with that argument.

"So that's it? He gets away with death threats and saying horrible things to you?"

"I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to get his ass beat. If it wasn't for Tyler, it'd be open fucking season on his furry ass. Listen, karma's a bitch, and I can only hope it catches up to him. But for now, let it lie. Okay? Please?"

I sighed in surrender. "And Tyler?" I grabbed the soap and began soaping up her back. Nothing sexual, just helping her to get clean.

"I guess I get to be grateful for what I was allowed to know of him," she said sadly. I turned her body, helping rinse the suds from her skin. "You need to call Carlisle though. Warn them to stay out of Forks for awhile, Edward too."

I looked at her, cocking my eyebrow.

"What? He's my brother now. He may be a douche, but I don't want him dead." She paused for a moment. "You can't tell them what Jake said to me either."

"Bella!"

"Gah! Don't yell Jasper. Shit, my fucking head's gonna explode."

I glared at her and she returned the expression. "Think about it, Jazz. You tell Carlisle about the horrible things Jake said, and the next time Edward sees him and happens to pick that bit of info out of his brain, just where do you think Edward would head next?"

I'm really getting fucking tired of being wrong today. I sighed. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll ask Emmett and Rose to be sure not to repeat it either. This is only borrowed time, you know. You do realize Edward will still be able to pick it out of any of our heads, barring yours?"

"Are you planning on seeing him sometime soon? Because I'm sure as hell not."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to get out of the shower now so I can go curl up in a ball on our bed and die."

"_Bella_," I warned.

"Figure of speech, Jasper. But I do feel like fucking shit; I need to lie down."

I shut off the water and handed her a towel from the rack.

She put on a fresh pair of sweats and a tank top, and then lay down on the bed with her wet hair still wrapped up in a towel on her head. I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. "Guess I got a phone call to make. Do you need anything?" I asked her.

"Two aspirin, a large glass of ice water, and maybe a little soup. My stomach is officially emptied."

"Sure thing, Darlin'. You get some rest and I'll be back with your stuff in a bit alright? Try not to worry."

She nodded and I walked out of the room with my cell phone to call Carlisle. I would respect her wishes and leave the mutt unharmed. For now. However, as she said, karma is a bitch and I would seize, without hesitation, the opportunity to give that fucker his comeuppance if and when the moment presents itself.


	25. Chapter 25

Just gotta say how much I enjoy hearing from you all, whether for the first time or the twentieth. And to those of you re-reviewing, even if it's just smiley-faces (you know who you are), I really appreciate it. I know it's really not a numbers game or anything like that, because ultimately I'm doing this for the joy of writing and sharing the fuckery with you all, but I have to admit a portion of the pain I experienced when pulling this story was due to losing those nearly 2900 reviews. So again, thanks so much, for the reviews, the love, support, and all that warm fuzzy shit.

So Jake was kind of a dick that last chapter, wasn't he? Let's see what happens next.

Beta'd by my Mynxi.

Characters still belong to SM.

**Bella**  
Jasper spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening taking care of me and helping me to fall into a deep sleep that night, so I could get a good night's rest. I still woke up with the hangover from hell, but in a slightly better frame of mind. I was still sad about Tyler of course, but realized that right now there wasn't much more that could be done. And Jake? Well, I was pretty fucking pissed at him. What an asshole. But I was adamant that killing him was absolutely not an option. Causing him bodily harm, however, was still open for discussion.

When Jasper called Carlisle and filled him on the recent turn of events, omitting the part about Jake's desire to kill me and the nasty email he sent, Carlisle agreed it would be best for us all to stay out of the Forks area for a while. He said he may call Sam at a later date though, after things calm down, and see if they could reach a more amicable understanding. He and Esme were also thrilled to hear that we got married; they weren't too sure how thrilled Edward was going to be with the news, however. He was still with the Denalis; Carlisle said he'd call him later and break the news.

Carlisle also came up with the brilliant suggestion that, when the time came for my change, Jasper would collect some of his venom to be injected into me, in addition to Peter biting me. More specifically it would be injected directly into my heart, which was not only fantastic symbolism, but could also speed up the process. I certainly wasn't opposed to the notion; three days of burning didn't exactly sound like a party.

After I had some lunch we all settled in the living room to discuss where to go for college. I told them about the schools I'd narrowed it down to. Dartmouth was ruled out right away, since that was where Carlisle and Esme were at the moment and we didn't want to live that close to them right now. Carlisle had taken a position at the university and Esme had an interior design project going on in the area.

Peter and Emmett liked the idea of Philadelphia, but Jasper wasn't feeling it, nor was Rose or Char, so that ruled out UPenn. That left Boston or New York; Rose and Char loved the idea of New York, with Peter, Emmett, and Jasper leaning toward Boston. I decided to apply to the three remaining schools, Columbia, NYU and Boston College, to see where I was accepted. That would help be the deciding factor as to where to go.

The next few days were spent just regrouping our dysfunctional little family unit. The vamps remodeled the kitchen and I worked on applications and arranging for my transcripts to be provided to those colleges. During that time, it was also decided when my change would take place. I would attend one year of school and work on some general pre-requisites. After my change, when I'll be too blood-crazy to be amongst the general public, I would do online courses, having five very capable tutors at my beck and call. Jasper and Peter warned that it could be a year or more before I was going to be ready to be out in society without wanting to eat anyone.

I knew one thing for sure though. I was gonna have to find something to occupy my time, and soon, because I was already bored out of my fucking mind and eternity hadn't even started yet.

One afternoon I spotted Emmett and Peter playing Guitar Hero. Unlike the fighting or sports games they often played, it looked like something I could do. "Can I try?" I asked after watching them play for a while.

Peter handed me his guitar controller. "Have at, Stella."

"Fuck off Peter," I said as I put its strap over my shoulder.

"Aw, now is that any way to talk to your poppa?"

I heard a growl from the other room; Jasper was reading in the study down the hall. If I could hear him I knew Peter could.

"Better stifle that before the Major decides you need your living room remodeled next," I told him.

"Yeah, good point," he agreed.

Emmett was scrolling through the songs. "Are you gonna bullshit all day or are we gonna do this?"

"Rock and roll, Big Brother. Let's do it."

I started on the 'easy' level, but got the hang of it pretty quickly. It almost felt like I was really playing a guitar. After a couple hours, my hand was beginning to cramp, but I'd worked my way up to playing at the 'medium' level fairly confidently. I hadn't noticed that Jasper had come in to watch us play, so it surprised me when I turned my head to see him leaning against a wall watching me with a small smile on his face.

"I think I'm done for a while if you'd like to play Jasper. My hands need a break." I offered him the controller. He shook his head no, so I handed it back to Peter.

"Naw, darlin' I was having fun just watching you. You looked like you were really enjoying that."

I walked up to him and put my arms around his waist, rising up on my toes to kiss him. "You know, I really was. I've always wanted to play the guitar, so it was kinda awesome to be able to embrace my inner rock star for once," I said with a laugh.

"I didn't know you wanted to learn the guitar. I could teach you," he said. Oh, just one more reason to love this man.

"You never told me you played the guitar! How come you've never played for me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know; I never thought about it, I guess. I haven't played in months, if not years."

"Well what are you waiting for? Fucking play me something!"

He grinned my favorite lazy grin. "Well since you asked so fuckin' nice and all. Just for you though, darlin'; I ain't playing no concert for these fools today. Come on." I followed him down the hall to our room, playfully hooking my finger through one of the belt loops on his jeans.

He went into his closet and came out with a battered guitar case. Inside was a beautiful Martin acoustic guitar, glossy black with abalone and mother-of-pearl accents on the frets.

"It's beautiful Jazz." I sat on the bed and he sat down next to me. He began to strum, tuning it by ear.

"You ready?" he asked. At my nod, he began to play and sing a jaw-dropping rendition of Staind's _"It's Been Awhile."_ My eyes filled with tears at the sound of his clear voice and how sincerely he sang; I never knew he had such a beautiful singing voice. And the sight of him playing one of my all-time favorite songs, so raw yet flawlessly, it was all I could do to not jump him as he played.

As he finished the final note, he looked at me with an eyebrow raised and a grin that made my panties go from damp to soaked. "I take it you thoroughly enjoyed my performance, darlin'?" he drawled.

"If I don't have you inside of me in the next sixty seconds, I'm going to explode." He made it with thirty-five seconds to spare, and before those thirty-five seconds were up I was screaming his name.

"I feel like a groupie," I said with a giggle, my head resting on the crook of his arm. He chuckled.

"And by the way, you are _definitely_ giving me guitar lessons."

Jasper started my lessons the next day, presenting me with my very own guitar to learn on; another Martin that he'd had for years. It was light brown, a little smaller, and a good fit for my arms. As the days passed, I picked it up quickly, having the basic chords learned by the third lesson; Jasper said I was a natural. When I wasn't playing a real guitar, I got lots of strumming and rhythm practice playing Guitar Hero with Emmett and Peter. I was no where close to beating either of them, but Emmett said I was still a worthy opponent "for a human". I decided then that the second order of business when I became a vampire, after I punch Peter in the mouth (yeah he still had that coming), I was going to kick Emmett's ass at Guitar Hero. If I didn't pulverize the controller, that is.

I was perusing Boston College's Arts and Sciences academic programs one afternoon, still waiting for word from the college whether or not I'd been accepted, when my new mail indicator flashed on my screen. I clicked on my inbox, and when I saw who it was from, my stomach coiled into a knot instantly. Sensing my sudden apprehension, Jasper appeared at my side and asked what was wrong.

My mouth had gone dry. "It's from Lexi. Lexi Black."

"Jacob's wife?" asked Jasper with a frown.

"Yeah," I said and clicked to open the message.

_Dear Bella,_

_I hope you don't mind my contacting you. I found your email address on Jake's email account after I heard about what happened at the pack meeting. I've been thinking about you for several days and after I spoke to Leah, I decided I needed to get in touch. When I found your address, I saw the last email he sent to you, and I was shocked. I am so very sorry about the things he said; he had no right, no matter how angry he is. I really want to give him hell for it, but then he'll know I've been snooping and that won't work well with what I have in mind._

_I hear that you are married now, and while I can't say I understand the choices you have made, I know from talking to Leah that you are very happy with him and at peace with your decision. You deserve happiness and if he is what makes you happy than that is what matters. You have to do what is right for you._

_Leah also told me that she'd hoped to be able to provide you with continuing updates and pictures of Tyler much like Jake had been, but couldn't do it once Sam gave her the order not to. I have no reason to believe you would ever cause or allow harm to come to Tyler, regardless of who or what you are, so since I'm not subject to Alpha orders, I'd like to do it instead, if you don't mind. Leah of course doesn't know this, and I'd appreciate if you don't mention it to her so this can remain our little secret._

_If you're ok with this, then this is my suggestion for how we should do it. Create a new email account using a fake name, and then send me an email to this address. Put "Recipes" on the subject header, and in the message type "Got it."_

_I will be clearing this message from my folders as soon as I send this to you so Jake won't see this. As you know he's being a total asshole about this whole thing, and I don't want to cause more trouble than there already is. But trust that once he's calmed down some, he and I WILL have a conversation regarding his fucked up stance, because I don't think he's being fair to you. _

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Take care,  
Lexi_

Tears were streaming down my face as I finished reading. I didn't have to lose my little boy. I didn't know how I could ever repay Lexi for being willing to do this for me, but I would find a way, because, WOW. This was _huge_.

"Are you gonna do it?" Jasper asked softly, having read the email over my shoulder. Now normally, that snoopy shit would piss me off, but I was too stoked to care at the moment.

"Of course! Are you kidding me? I can't believe she would do this for me. God, Jazz, I was such a bitch to her when Jake left me for her, you don't even know," I said.

"Somehow I think I do," he teased with a chuckle.

"Fuck you," I muttered as I created a new Hotmail account.

Within a few minutes, 'Stella White' sent Lexi Black an email. _"Got it. Thanks for everything."_

Jasper leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I'm glad she's doing this for you, darlin'. She has a good heart. Her husband still has an ass-kickin' comin' to him though."

I spun my chair around, stood, and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him soundly. "I love you," was all I said, because he was right.

When I broke away for air, he asked what I'd been doing before I got Lexi's email.

"Researching Boston some more. I really think I'd like it there, and it seems like a great area for us. I hope I can get in," I said.

"Well, whether you're accepted there or not, if you like Boston, then let's move to Boston. You can always apply to other schools after we get there," he suggested.

"Really? Just like that; we're moving to Boston. You make it sound so simple."

He laughed. "That's because it is. We have nothing tying us here and a ton of money at our disposal. So yeah, darlin', let's move to Boston. What do you say we plan a trip over there to find a place to live?"

"I'd say let's book some fucking tickets." I grinned at him. Sweet!

"YEAH, WE'RE MOVING TO BOSTON!" I heard Emmett shout in the other room, followed by a resounding thump, which most likely was Rose's hand colliding with the back of his head.

I laughed again and sat back down to my laptop to look at flights, and saw that I'd already received a reply, with an attachment, from Lexi. _"Cookies",_ stated the subject line.

**Jasper**  
When Bella saw the reply from Lexi, I felt her brace herself as she moved the mouse to click it open. I thusly braced myself, preparing for the onslaught of emotions that typically wracked through her when she received such emails.

She opened the picture to find her smiling little boy, who was cheek-to-cheek with a pretty young woman with dark skin, wavy hair, and a secretive smile. The woman, Lexi, I presumed, was winking.

Instead of the usual agony and longing she experienced at the sight of her boy, Bella instead was bursting with love, gratitude and peace. "Thanks Lexi," she whispered, and touched the boy's face on the screen.


	26. Chapter 26

Yeah, we're going to Boston!

Beta'd by my Mynxi.

Characters by SM, epic characterization by me.

**Jasper**

We left for Boston three days later after I contacted Esme to see if she had any connections for real estate in the area. I knew with Esme's taste she could help direct us to some homes we would like. She made a few phone calls and set us up with a few realtors to meet with while we were there. "I'm so excited for you guys, Boston's a wonderful city," she said. I told her she would have to come help us decorate once we were settled in, to which she eagerly agreed.

Bella was in heightened spirits and a much better frame of mind thanks to Lexi's gesture. Once Bella didn't have to deal with the pain of losing all contact with her son, something I don't believe she considered so crucial to her existence until it was gone, it softened the otherwise severe blow rendered by Jacob's asinine threats. As much as I wanted to go to Forks and tear that bastard limb from limb, I would do nothing to upset her now that she was, for the most part, happy and at peace.

Leaving Phoenix seemed to lighten her spirits that much more. For as sunny as it is, it had seemed like a dark cloud had been hanging over our heads. The closer we got to Boston, the more her excitement grew. Boston would be a fresh start for all of us, exactly what we needed. Her enthusiasm was rubbing off on me, so by the time the pilot announced our decent to land, my own leg was bouncing in anticipation.

The six of us grabbed our carry-on bags and exited the plane. There was no need to go to baggage claim, what was once always a necessary stop when I traveled with Alice; instead we headed directly to rent a car. We piled in the glossy black Escalade and headed to the Four Seasons to get checked into our rooms, a State suite for each couple. It was nearly eight in the evening at this point and I knew Bella had to be starving. The dinner served on the airplane didn't look at all appetizing, and the way Bella had picked at it told me I was right.

We agreed to take thirty minutes to freshen up and then meet back in the lobby to get dinner and go out. Once in our room, Bella actually squealed then tossed her bag aside and leaped on top of the bed, jumping up and down on it like an unruly child. I couldn't help but chuckle at her obvious glee.

"What are you laughing at? I'm excited damn it, leave me alone." She scowled at me good-naturedly as she continued to bounce. My eyes wandered down and saw her breasts jiggling with her movements. I felt my second-in-command stir and the laughter died in my throat.

"You're right darlin', ain't nothin' funny about this." I flew to the bed and pulled her off of it so that she was standing next to me on the floor beside it, and pressed my body and my arousal into her. She gasped at the suddenness of my movement. "I'm a little excited too," I said softly as I nuzzled her ear.

She shuddered. "Um, I like the way you're thinking Hon, but we don't have very long and I wanted to take a quick shower before we go out."

I looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw we had twenty-five minutes. "I'll start the water," I said, lightly dragging my tongue along the shell of her ear, and then darted into the bathroom.

"Are you joining me?" she asked. I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Try to keep me out."

I heard her walk into the bathroom and when I turned, I saw she had already removed her clothes and knotted her hair up on top of her head. In a flash, I peeled my own clothes off and with a little growl, I picked her up with her body facing me, her legs wrapped around my waist automatically, and I carried her into the shower as my lips devoured hers. I was about to submerge us both under the spray when she suddenly pulled her mouth from mine and cried "Wait!"

I froze. "What's wrong, darlin'?" _Please don't change your mind now._

"We don't have much time," (_Shit!_) "so I just wanted to tell you to be careful so that my hair doesn't get wet." Not a problem.

"Is that all?" I smirked and turned us so that my back and head were under the spray. I propped her up against the wall and leaned into kiss her, dousing her with a wave of my lust for her. She gasped and the scent of her arousal infused with the steam of the shower. There was no finer scent in this world. "As much as I want to have a long leisurely taste of that honey you're producing, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to make this quick," I growled, thrusting against her.

"Please!" she gasped.

I positioned myself at her entrance and filled her with one forceful thrust. "Fuck!" she cried. I didn't withdraw completely, instead I remained deep within her, grinding my hips into hers in small circles and exploring her mouth with my tongue. I eased one hand in between us, keeping a supporting hand under her ass with the other, and began to work her little bundle of nerves with my thumb. She threw her head back and cried out as I felt her body begin to clamp down around me. I lengthened my thrusts then, driving into her a few more times before I followed her over the edge.

"Oh holy shit, Jazz," she panted, trying to catch her breath while I peppered kisses up and down her neck, dragging my tongue once over her pulse point. I could easily have kept going for another around, but I knew that cockblocker Peter would be pounding on our door if we weren't on time.

"You've got fifteen minutes, darlin'. We'll pick up where we left off later." I kissed her one last time, set her back on her feet, and got out of the shower so she could finish up.

We met the others in the lobby with thirty seconds to spare; a miracle in itself after seeing the outfit my gal had decided to wear for our evening out. She had on a painted-on pair of black leather pants tucked into black knee-high suede high-heel boots, and a silky blood-red top that draped gracefully off one shoulder and accentuated her curves. Oh yeah, and no bra. I saw her giving me the once over as well, and felt her lust reignite, so we left our room before we ended up tearing each others clothes off. This was gonna be a long night.

I could tell by the feeling of satiation from our cohorts that they'd spent their thirty minutes in a very similar fashion as Bella and me. I flipped off Peter and bumped fists with Emmett. "Y'all ready to do this?" I asked them. Just then Bella's stomach growled, and we all laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

**Bella**  
I couldn't take my eyes off of Jasper, I'd never before seen him dressed the way he was tonight. Usually he was in his Levi's and boots with t-shirts and button downs, but he'd mixed it up tonight and hot _damn_ but it was working for me. He was wearing a dark navy blue button-down with the sleeves rolled, un-tucked, with a charcoal grey vest hanging unbuttoned over it, black jeans and black suede oxford shoes. The cherry on top would be the charcoal grey fedora he wore over his long wavy curls, dipped at a rakish angle over his forehead. Hell yes.

We met the others in the lobby and saw that we all were all pretty much dressed to kill. Uh, figuratively speaking of course, since all vampires had fed before we left Phoenix. Peter and Emmett were similarly dressed with un-tucked button down shirts, dark grey on Peter and dark blue on Emmett, rolled sleeves and dark wash denim jeans. Rose wore a loose fitting cowl-neck tunic that draped low over her breasts, exposing some lace from her bra, over a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and strappy stiletto heels, and Char wore a black curve-hugging jersey wrap dress that ended above the knee and sling back stilettos. Watch out Boston, we're coming for you!

We decided to stop in at a nearby pub so I could get something to eat. I ordered a fish and chips basket and a Guinness, and the others ordered a couple of appetizers and some pints. I ate some of the appetizers and randomly sipped from their beers to keep up appearances. It was necessary since the fucking barmaid kept coming back every five minutes to 'check' on us. Actually the bitch was checking out and blatantly flirting with our men and, by the time I finished my meal, the three of us girls were about ready to rip her hair out, much to the amusement of the men. Whoremaid turned to Emmett after collecting our plates, and bent down a little to give him a good look down her top. "Are you sure there isn't anything else I can get for you, handsome?" she asked.

I heard Rose's low growl and looked up to see her eyes turning black with rage, so I decided to intervene. "Yeah, sweetie," I said to Whoremaid, "there is. You can get fucked. You can also quit flirting with our men before you end up clocking out with a limp tonight, got it bitch?"

Jasper and Emmett were staring at me, while Peter just snorted and shook his head. Whoremaid sneered at me and opened her mouth to respond when Rose and Char both stood up and glared at her. "Got something to say bitch?" Rose growled. She looked ready to fuck a bitch up. I felt Jasper push out a wave of calm, but it was too late to calm Whoremaid's nerves.

Her eyes were huge; she gulped and handed us our bill. "I'll be your cashier when you're ready," she rasped. Jasper handed her a hundred dollar bill and told her to keep the change. She nodded and walked away without another word. We stood and began to head out, though it looked to me like Emmett had to tug Rose to get her going.

We got back in the Escalade and headed for Lansdowne Street, which is where the hotel concierge had recommended we go for some fun. Jasper was vetoed five to one on where to go; he wanted low-key, we girls felt like dancing, and Peter and Emmett felt like watching us dance, so we picked a club called Reverie. It wasn't a total 'meat-market' kind of place, which placated Jasper a little. There was a line at the door but the five beautiful vampires and myself (and really, I had to admit I was looking pretty fuckhot), with the assistance of a wad of bills passed to the bouncer by Emmett, got us in right away. It had a dark, underground kind of vibe to it; it was dark, sweaty and dare I say a little dirty, therefore it was right up my alley.

We got a table in the VIP area and ordered some drinks. Rose and Char ordered Cosmos which caused me to snicker; Char stuck her tongue out at me. Jasper raised an eyebrow when I ordered a shot of Patron, and then scowled when Peter ordered one too and Emmett followed suit. We all knew who those would be going to. Jasper then asked for some bottles of water.

I sat on Jazz's lap while we waited for the drinks to arrive, just enjoying being close to him and how he was running his fingers up and down my back while we laughed and joked with the others. The server arrived back with the drinks and, once she left, two more shot glasses joined the one that had been placed in front of me. "Gee thanks guys," I said sarcastically.

"Ain't a party till Bells has some Patron in her. We're ready to party so drink up, lil' sis!" Emmett laughed.

"You really don't have to have all three of those now," Jasper said quietly, sounding vaguely worried.

"The hell I don't. What will the server think to come back and see two full shots still sitting here?" I asked mock-aghast.

"That we're pacing ourselves?" Jasper asked a little pointedly.

"Silly vampire," I patted him on his cheek, "Not in a joint like this you don't." I then picked up my first shot, raised it in a salute to my family and tossed it back. I heard Jasper sigh as I reached for the second. "Shh!" I chastised him, and then knocked back number two. "Mmm, good stuff," I said as I reached for the last shot. Jasper's ice cold hand touched mine.

"Are you sure about that? I'm not sure if you remember the last time you got trashed, but I've got crystal-clear recollection of it. It wasn't pretty."

Peter muttered, "Party pooper," and Jasper hissed at him.

"Jasper, I made the poor decision of going with Jim Beam that night, which always makes for a nasty Drunken Bella, and it didn't help that I was I a pretty shitty mood when I started. Tonight I am drinking Patron, the second best thing to water in my book, and I'm in a fan-fucking-tastic mood. I just want to have some fun. Now, shut the fuck up and let me take this last shot."

He rolled his eyes but removed his hand from mine. "Fine, knock yourself out," he muttered.

I drank the last shot and then leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Now see, was that so hard?" I took the fedora from his head and plopped it on to my own, tilting the brim over my eye at a saucy angle. His eyes darkened a little.

"It's a damn good thing you look so fucking sexy in my hats darlin', or I wouldn't take so kindly to your swipin' 'em."

I kissed him again and then I heard the opening beat of _"Paper Planes"_ come on. "Oooh SNAP, that's my jam!" I cried and then looked at Rose and Char who were grinning at my sudden outburst. "Come on bitches, let's go dance." I stood and blew a kiss at Jazz. "You know where to find me," and then I headed to the dance floor with Rose and Char on each side of me.

The floor was crowded but it was almost as though it parted to let us through. We started to dance in a laidback groove. I found myself in the middle of another sexy blonde sandwich as we moved together fluidly; knees dipping, waists twisting, and hands stroking each others backs, hips, and hair. One brave male attempted to step close to us to dance but was quickly shut down by Rose. I looked toward our table and saw three sets of narrowed black eyes looking in the guy's direction. I smirked to myself, thinking they weren't going to last over there much longer.

The music changed to something with a Latin sound that I didn't recognize, with a sensual salsa rhythm. We managed to bring our bodies even closer together. My mouth was close to Char's ear and, damn that Patron anyway, my tongue was suddenly tracing along the shell of her ear. I heard Char moan quietly and Rose was lightly stroking my neck with her fingernails. A moment later the three of us were suddenly separated and dancing in the arms of our spouses instead.

"Uh, hi," I said looking up into Jasper's slightly perturbed face.

"Not sure what kind of shit you're tryin' to pull darlin', but you three were about to cause either an orgy or a brawl," he growled.

"Aw baby, we're just having a little fun," I purred and popped up on my toes to lick his lips with the tip of my tongue. A rumble sounded from within him. "That's what I thought," I said with a smirk.

Franz Ferdinand's _"No You Girls"_ came on and I threw one arm over his shoulder, caressing the nape of his neck with my hand, and put the other on top of the hat on my head. I did a saucy little dip and grinded against him, staring in his eyes and biting his lip.

_Oh you girls never know, how you make a boy feel._

Oh, I knew _exactly_ how I was making him feel.

"My-my, darlin', you do know you're playing with fire, don't you?" he said low in my ear.

"That a fact, Major?" I asked coyly. I fucking loved playing naughty with him; he always made the punishment fit the crime. I turned around so that my ass was rubbing against his package and raised my arms over my head to reach behind me and clasp behind his neck, threading through his hair. He took his hat from my head and placed it back on his own, then nudging my head to one side, he pulled my hair aside and began to kiss along my exposed shoulder to my neck. The music was loud, but as his lips reached my ear, there was no mistaking the words he uttered menacingly.

"I will have you begging for mercy tonight, just so you know."

I shuddered and my knees went weak. If not for his arms now holding me tightly around my waist, I would've hit the ground. His tongue darted in my ear and he chuckled. I regained my composure and turned to face him. "You better be bringin' it then, son," I purred, and then I left him on the dance floor, sashaying my way to the ladies room. Before I made it far, my vampire bitches were suddenly flanking my sides.

"I don't know what kind of game you're playing with Jasper, but you left him looking a little flustered on the dance floor," Char said. "You might be paying for that later."

Before I could answer her, Rose smirked and said "I think that's what she's counting on." Yeah, my sis knew me pretty well at this point.

They checked their makeup, which was flawless of course, while I used the bathroom. I decided I wanted another drink, out from under Jasper's watchful eyes, before we headed back to the dance floor.

As I waited for my shot of Patron, Char was looking at the specials written in neon marker on the wall behind the bar. "What's a blow job?" she asked suddenly. Rose and I both stared at her, each of us raising an eyebrow. "Oh for godsakes, do you two remember who I'm mated with? I mean why is it on the menu? Isn't that illegal?"

I started laughing. "It's a shot that you drink without using your hands," I told her.

"I'd like a blow job." I turned to see Rose ordering at the bar.

"So would I, doll. Are you offerin'?" The bartender asked her randily.

"Just pour the fucking drink, asshole." Rose snapped.

"Nice kitty," I said with a laugh, smoothing her hair and kissing her cheek. "So you're expecting me to drink that on top of Patron? My goal is to not puke tonight, you know." I drank the shot the bartender handed to me and sat the glass down on the bar.

"One won't kill you right?" Rose asked with a little smile. "Besides, I'm as interested as Char to see what it is." Char nodded with a grin.

The bartender placed the whipped cream-covered shot in front of us. I decided to have a little fun with it. "Sit here," I said to Rose, gesturing at the bar stool. She sat and I made a 'V' with my fingers and placed them in her cleavage.

"Bella, what the fuck?" she asked startled. I picked up the shot glass and deposited it I the space I made in her cleavage. She giggled. "Oh."

I winked at her. "You ready?" She nodded mischievously and I leaned forward, placed my mouth over the foamy shot, clamped my lips around it and then lifted my head, tossing it back. I took the glass out of my mouth and placed it on the counter.

"Niiice! I think we need a napkin though, you slopped some of your spooge on me," Rose gestured at some whipped cream that had smeared on her chest. I smiled at her, bent my head back to her chest, and dragged my tongue over the cream, licking it clean.

"_Fuuuuuuck _YEAH! THAT WAS AWESOME!" We looked to our left toward Emmett's booming voice to see him, Peter, and Jasper watching our little display. I couldn't quite read Jasper's expression other than the total blackness of his eyes. Peter was grinning like a fucking perv, of course.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, turned my head and Char was holding another frothy shot in her hand. "I hope you're up for one more, because it's my turn, sugar. That looked like too much fun and I'm feelin' a little left out."

"Now we can't be having that, Wifey, can we?" I took the glass from her and she pulled the neckline of her dress apart enough so that I could wedge the glass in her cleavage. I bent my head forward, but before I could take the shot, she said "Hold on a sec." I paused and watched her dip her finger into the whipped cream and smear a thick line across the top of her breasts, followed by a swipe across her lips. The crowd (holy fuck, we had a crowd now) cheered at her action. She winked at me. "Now I'm ready."

"Char-babe, you are one naughty bitch," I murmured to her.

"Bottoms-up, sugar," she purred in reply.

I mouthed the shot, drained it and she took the glass from my mouth. "You missed some," she said. I dragged my tongue slowly across the top of her breasts, dipping it briefly in her cleavage as I passed over it, and then I raised my head and traced my tongue across her lips where she'd wiped the cream. Her mouth opened and she drew my tongue inside with her own. I was vaguely aware of the flash of a camera phone. Or five.

I opened an eye and pulled away to see Peter all up close and personal with his phone in our faces. "Jesus Peter," I groaned. He threw an arm around his wife, kissed her on her cheek, and then grinned at me.

"Sorry Stella, but that was fuckin' _hot._ You know, we could always-"

"No, you can't." Jasper cut him off. He was standing next to me now, one arm wrapped tightly around my waist, looking at Peter through narrowed eyes.

Peter scoffed. "Now, Jazz, you can't deny that your woman was enjoying that just as much as mine was. I was just extending the invite that if she, or you both, ever wanted to…"

"No." Jasper was done fucking around. Peter knew it and dropped the subject.

I could now feel Jasper's eyes burning into me. "I think it's time to go now," he drawled quietly.

Emmett and Peter readily agreed, but I was pretty sure it was because the display with the Blowjobs got them all hot and bothered. Sure enough, on the way back to the hotel, Jasper and I rode silently in the front seats while Emmett and Rose pawed each other in the middle row of the Escalade. In the very back, Peter and Char were… well I couldn't see Char's head at the moment, so I had a good idea what they were up to. Fucking horny bastards. Jasper remained quiet for the entire ride; I had to admit I was a little nervous.

We got to the hotel and went our separate ways from the elevator. Jasper slid the card key through the slot and opened the door to our suite. I stepped in and was suddenly lifted off of my feet and my back was pressed against the wall by the door.

"That was quite the little show you put on back there." His voice was very quiet and his breath was cool in my ear. "Just what should I do with you, little girl?"

I looked at him through heavily-lidded eyes. "You can do with me however the fuck you see fit, Major."

He growled and thrust against me. "I've got just the thing for that filthy mouth of yours. On your knees." He released me, setting my feet on the floor, and by the time I'd dropped to my knees, he was unbuttoned and ready for me. "This ain't a shot glass, but I'm sure you know what to do."

He hissed as my lips surrounded him and then I felt his fingers wrap in my hair. He started thrusting carefully in a steady rhythm. I grazed my teeth along his length. "Ah shit," he groaned and his icy release shot into the back of my throat. I stood, wiped my mouth and turned to walk into the bedroom, pulling my shirt over my head and dropping it to the floor as I walked. I stopped and looked over my shoulder at him. "Fall in, soldier."

In a flash, I was scooped up and deposited on the bed. He made quick work of my boots and leather pants, his chest rumbling when he saw I'd gone commando. "Fuck Bella," he groaned, and spreading my knees apart, he did indeed fall in. Did I mention he was still wearing the hat? The view alone was nearly enough to make me come. He made a purring noise as he tasted me over and over again, but stopping just short of allowing me my release. "Please Jazz!" I finally cried out, the tension becoming more than I could bear.

He chuckled. "I told you I'd have you begging." He moved over me and plunged in, which instantly put an end to my 'misery'. A few hard pumps later and he tumbled as well, moaning my name.

He shifted to the side so that he wasn't lying on top of me, but our arms and legs remained entwined. As I cooled, he pulled a blanket over us, kissed the top of my head, and wrapped his arms tighter around me over the blanket. I was asleep seconds later.

**Jasper**  
I let Bella sleep for a little while, but I couldn't keep my mind from wandering back to her activities from earlier in the evening. The lust level in that bar had been almost overwhelming when the girls were putting on their naughty little show with the foamy shots. That, in addition to the nonchalance she was treating my annoyance with, was really starting to piss me off, and then when that fucker Peter actually started to suggest she join them I wanted to rip his head off. I was pretty sure Bella was gonna have a lesson taught to her Major-style when we got back tonight, but she changed the game not long after our return. I don't know how she does it, but she can just take the ire right out of me, the confounding, sexy little minx.

She moaned in her sleep and shifted, which had an instantaneous reaction in my nether-regions. I rolled on top of her naked form and gently thrust in, moving slowly and kissing her face and neck softly. She awoke with another moan, "Oh, Jazz," and wrapped her hands around my lower back. We moved slowly and sensuously, uttering words of endearment to each other, making love as opposed to the lust-ridden sex we'd had earlier. Once we'd reached our fulfillment of each other, she slept again.

The next morning we met in the lobby to go meet with one of the realtors Esme had referred us to. Esme had learned of a listing in the Beacon Hill area that she said would be perfect for the six of us, so we were going to go take a look it for ourselves.

The neighborhood itself was older but rather upscale with large brick homes lining the street, and the property we were looking at was on a cul-de-sac. We parked the Escalade in the driveway in front of the three-car garage. A friendly older woman with chin-length silver hair met us in front of the home. "Hello, I'm Marcia Walters," she greeted us, shaking my hand.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Walters," I said. "This is my wife Bella, my sister Rose and her husband Emmett, and my brother Peter and his wife Charlotte." They all shook hands with the realtor.

"Please call me Marcia," she corrected gently. "I understand from speaking to your mother yesterday that you all have decided to relocate in Boston together? How interesting that you all stay together; not many families are so close these days," she said.

"Well Marcia, we appreciate the importance of family and the support that it offers," I explained without going into too much detail. Often at times, when it came to dealing unsuspecting humans, less is usually more. "May we take a look inside?"

"Of course, follow me." We followed her up the stone steps and waited as she unlocked the door. We toured the home, taking in the rooms decorated in shades of red, black, and dark chocolate brown, all having hardwood floors with coordinating rugs. It had four master bedrooms, two guest rooms, eight bathrooms, a massive kitchen, a game room, a library, and eight fireplaces: one in each bedroom, one in the library, and one in the media/sitting room. In the back yard there was a heated pool, a Jacuzzi, surrounded by large deck with a view that overlooked Boston. There was a privacy fence and shrubbery separating us from the neighbors on either side, but as tall as those homes were, we would probably have to avoid using the back yard on sunny days.

Marcia gave us a moment to discuss amongst ourselves. I looked at Bella and the others, in question as to what they thought of the place. "I love it," Bella whispered to me. "But I imagine the price tag on this place is obnoxious."

"It is, darlin'," I smiled at her, "But it's nothing that's gonna break the bank. Not our bank anyway. Besides, we don't have to buy it, there's a lease option for this property."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to move in!" Emmett said enthusiastically. "Did you see that game room? And the pool? Man!" Peter nodded and bumped fists with him.

"I don't know, maybe we should look at few more places before we decide anything," Rose said. Char and Bella nodded their agreement.

"Alright, no harm in that. Who knows, we may find something that better suits us," I agreed. But we didn't. We toured four more homes over the next two days and they all paled to the first. I called Marcia the afternoon before we left to return to Phoenix to have her draw up the papers and make arrangements for the deposit. The keys would be ours in two weeks.


	27. Chapter 27

Beta'd by my boo, Mynxi.

SM owns the characters, this aww-inducing fluff is all mine.

**Bella**  
We returned to Phoenix and began to make preparations for our move. Jasper made arrangements for Esme to tour our future home so she could get an early start with décor ideas for the house. She emailed pictures to us of furniture she had in mind for the place, wanting our approval before placing it in the home. With the exception of Peter and Char, who'd decided to handle the decoration for their room themselves, we decided to give Esme free reign of the place. Personally, I suck at decorating and Esme knew Rose, Emmett and Jasper's tastes as well as they did themselves. She said it would be finished by the time we were ready to move in.

I was stoked when we received our acceptance letters from Boston College a few days after we returned. I didn't realize the others had also applied, but I guess it made sense as it wasn't like they could just show up to class with me. I then learned they hadn't technically applied, but they more or less had the necessary paperwork, in various aliases, at the ready to submit to whatever college they were interested in. Apparently Carlisle had also made a few phone calls to the appropriate people who could fast-track our acceptance.

We enrolled and would begin at the start of the winter semester, which was roughly six weeks away. Thanksgiving passed with little fanfare, other than some extremely loud watching of football games, but we were pretty excited to spend our first Christmas together as a family in our new house.

Carlisle and Esme were going to come to our place for Christmas; the invite had also been extended to Edward, but considering how he took the news of our nuptials when Carlisle had finally called and broke the news to him, we weren't going to hold our breath he would show. On the bright side, it had sounded as though he was letting this Tanya chick console him, which was a huge step in the right fucking direction in my book.

Before I knew it, it was moving day. Much of Peter and Char's furniture was staying at the house in Phoenix, since they knew they would eventually return, so we covered it with drop-cloths. We had sent several boxes of our belongings by express courier two days before so that most of it would be there waiting for us when we arrived. Esme was there working in the house and could sign for it as it arrived. All that was left to move was Peter and Char's bedroom set, their Tahoe, my Jeep and Jasper's truck. Rose and Emmett had been driving a Nissan Armada they'd rented when they first arrived in Phoenix so we rode in that to the airport.

"Wicked pissah. Wicked pissah…" Emmett started saying as he drove. Rose closed her eyes and shook her head, turning her attention back to the fashion magazine she was looking at.

"Emmett, what the fuck are you saying?" I asked him.

"I'm working on the local Boston lingo, Bells; it's something they say there a lot. How do I sound?" He looked at me through the rear view mirror.

"You sound like a fucking dumbass, don't do it again." Harsh but true, big brother.

A small smile graced Rose's lips as she continued to flip through the pages of the magazine.

"You already told him that didn't you?" I asked her.

"Verbatim," she said, still not looking up from the magazine, but she held her fist out toward me for a bump, which I totally did.

After an extremely long, crowded, and bumpy flight to Boston, we were finally on our way home(!) in another Escalade we'd rented at the airport. We probably should just buy one of these damn things; we all fit in it and we went everywhere together anyway. As it was, our vehicles and Peter and Char's bedroom furniture weren't due to arrive for two days.

There was a moderate layer of snow on the ground which made our view of our new home that much more enchanting when we pulled in the driveway. Esme had draped garlands of evergreen, with small twinkling white lights woven in them, along the eaves of the house and bordering the entryway. It looked beautiful; I couldn't believe I lived here now.

Jasper lifted the edge of a heavy stone planter that stood next to the front door and retrieved the key Esme had left there. He put the key in the lock, turned it, and then looked at me and said, "Welcome home, darlin'," as he pushed open the door.

Esme was a fucking genius.

I had guessed she would've kept to the light, airy, creamy white tones she usually used in her decorating, but I couldn't have been more wrong. She decorated around a lot of the existing colors in the home. The dining room still had red walls, but they were now accented with gauzy, flowing black drapes. The hardwood floor was stained a deep mahogany, and on it stood a large pewter dining table with a glass top, decorated with red, black, and silver place settings.

The game room had been turned into a family room with a huge LCD TV mounted on its dark chocolate walls and the gaming systems Emmett had shipped ahead of time were already connected and ready to play. A large bookshelf with our massive collection of DVDs and games lined an adjacent wall. The room had been carpeted in lush off-white carpeting; a huge couch, and a set of overstuffed chairs with ottomans in a deep plum color, arranged near the massive stone fireplace, completed the room.

A brand new set of pots and pans hung from a rack over the cooking island in the kitchen. The walls had been painted in a pewter grey tone, which complemented the stainless appliances and dark blue granite countertops. "She's amazing," I breathed to Jasper as I took it all in.

"We should go see how our bedroom turned out," he murmured in my ear. Well that was one hell of an idea, why didn't I come up with that? I then noticed we'd been left alone during our tour of the house.

"The others are already, uh, checking out their rooms, aren't they?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. I went to take his hand but instead he pulled me up on his back and ran to our bedroom, with me laughing and clinging to his back. The bedroom did not disappoint. Esme had painted the walls a similar pewter grey as in the kitchen, but with the exception of one red accent wall. In front of that wall stood a massive four-poster bed with a wrought iron frame, with charcoal grey and black bedding. Gauzy black swaths of fabric adorned the windows, and a 42" LCD was mounted on the wall.

"Wow," I said. Jasper sat me down on my feet and I went into the adjoining master bath. The walls were dark grey with masonry and floor tiles in pearl grey and white. On one side was a large tiled walk-in shower with multiple shower heads, but the focal point of the room was the huge metal jetted bathtub with stone and tile decking surrounding it. "I'm getting in there right the fuck now," I informed Jasper. "And you will be joining me."

He grinned my favorite grin and drawled, "Well, yes ma'am." He walked over to the tub and turned on the faucet. It was one of those cool kinds that spill out like a wide waterfall into the tub. The best mother-in-law in the history of ever had left a bottle of bubble bath on the side of the tub; Japanese cherry blossom, my favorite. Jasper poured some under the running water and its scent quickly filled the room.

"It smells like you," Jasper said as he approached me, put his hands on my waist, and then met my mouth with his.

"It's my favorite," I said when I pulled away.

"Mine too," he smirked and then grasped the hem of my shirt. I raised my arms and he lifted it over my head. He lowered his lips to my neck and kissed my pulse point. "Intoxicating," he murmured. He pushed the straps of my bra down with his fingers as he kissed across my collarbone to my shoulder, and then moved his hands behind me to release my bra. He stepped back and let it fall to the floor, looking at me standing only in my jeans, lust and love battling in his eyes. It looked as though lust was winning. As he stepped forward, his hands at the ready to touch my breasts, I took a step back.

"Slow down, Whitlock. I want this bath first."

He smiled a little self-deprecatingly. "Sorry darlin', it's easy to get carried away with you."

I unfastened my jeans and slid them down my legs, followed by my boyshort panties. He watched my every move, like a predator watching his prey. _What was with him tonight?_

He was standing between me and the tub, so I moved past him to get started on my bath, taking the two steps up and then easing myself in. "Ahhh," I sighed as I slid down further into the suds. I reached over and pressed the button on the nearby panel to turn on the jets. They immediately began pulsating on my back and legs. My eyes closed on their own volition. "Oh, that feels so fucking good," I moaned. "I love this tub. I love our room. I love this house…" I opened my eyes to find Jasper still standing in the middle of the room, fully clothed. "Jazz?"

"I love you," he said quietly, looking at me with midnight eyes emanating his feelings.

I smiled. "I love you too, baby. Why are you still dressed? Get in here."

He pulled his t-shirt over his head, still watching me. I gazed at his lean pectorals and abs on his perfectly scarred body, down to the V at his hips as he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down along with his boxer briefs. His member was already firm, rising proudly away from his body. He walked slowly to the tub, never breaking eye contact with me, turned off the faucet and slid in to the tub across from me. He then pulled me over to straddle his lap, facing him.

**Jasper**  
As the scent of cherry blossoms permeated the air and blended with her own natural mouthwatering aroma, it suddenly brought out overwhelming feelings of love and lust for my mate. I had watched her face as we toured the house, relishing her excitement and glee over our new home. After everything she'd been through in her short existence, it made my dead heart swell to see the utter joy on her face and feel it bursting from her soul. She is always beautiful, but the rush of such positive emotion made her breathtaking.

I wanted to ravage her then, show her just how much she meant to me, but the ravishing was to be delayed by the bath. _Or was it?_ Ah, but she stopped me to finish undressing herself while I tried to restrain myself from taking her right there on the bathroom floor. She watched my eyes as she peeled down her jeans and panties, and then walked past me to get into the tub. She sighed and moaned as she settled in, and the sounds resonated to my core, bringing forth a stark realization of fact. I had never before felt the love, this passion, for anyone like what I was experiencing at that very moment. I was proud. I was possessive. I was smitten. _I was hers._

"… love this tub. I love our room. I love this house," she was saying, and then opened her beautiful brown eyes to meet mine. "Jazz?" I sensed her curiosity. Yeah I was probably freaking her out a little. Hell, I was freaking myself out a little.

"I love you," was all I could say.

The smile of an angel lit up her face. "I love you too, baby. Why are you still dressed? Get in here."

I complied, never moving my eyes from those chocolate pools. When I got in, I needed to close the distance between us, so I pulled her into my lap, straddling me, her face looking questioningly into mine.

"Our relationship came out of no where, Bella; everything happened so fast, changed so fast for the both of us. And that's okay, we're good and that's all that's mattered, until now." Her heart stuttered; my speech was scaring her, so I moved on quickly. "Seeing you in this house, experiencing your sheer happiness, I've just realized we're home. _I'm home._ I've never had this feeling Bella, not even with Alice. And I'm not talkin' about the house; don't get me wrong, the house is great. But it would be a cold, empty shell without you in it, much like how my life would be, how it was, before you were in it. I love you so much it hurts Bella. I can't believe I get to spend the rest of forever with you."

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears threatening to escape from them. "Jazz," she said in a choked voice. "That's the sweetest- I mean, that you… _You_ love me the way you do, I" she stopped at a loss for words; not a common feat for the modern Bella. I could feel that even now, after all she and I had shared, she still felt a little undeserving of my love, when only the opposite could ever be true.

"Darlin' I feel what you're feeling right now and you need to cut it out. It's me who doesn't deserve you, and I plan to spend eternity showing you my gratitude for giving me your trust, your love, and yourself."

She closed the distance between our faces and kissed me, throwing into it all the passion she had for me. I'd gained better control of my projection, when it came to being with Bella, over the last several weeks, so as I felt her passion I decided to reciprocate, and pushed at her all the emotion I was feeling for her: the love, the hope, the gratitude, the lust. Her eyes flew open and then she gasped and shuddered at the sudden intensity; her torso fell back slightly so I gripped her a little more tightly in my arms. I pulled my emotions back and crushed her to me.

"Oh my God, Jazz? Is that really how you feel?" she gasped, her question muffled by my chest.

"It sure is, darlin', I said in her ear, kissing below the lobe and stroking my fingers up and down her back. She suddenly sat up and back from me, and with a swift shift of her hips I was sliding into her.

"Make love to me," she commanded. "Now."

"My pleasure," I groaned into her mouth. I grasped her hips and thrust upward, filling her to the hilt. She cried out in pleasure. I made a rolling motion with my hips that she met with her own, creating the most delicious friction. We continued the rolling motions, the momentum causing water to slosh over the sides of the tub, but neither of us cared. Our tongues tangled, our arms were locked around each other, and our moans and gasps of pleasure and ecstasy filled the room. At last I felt her inner muscles begin to grip me as her body began to tremble.

"Oh, fuuu… Oh Jazz, I'm going to…" she panted.

"Now darlin'. Right now." I said as I gripped her ass cheeks in each hand and thrust upward as hard as I could without injuring her. I groaned her name as she cried out mine, her body milking every drop from me.

She collapsed against me. "Fuck, Jasper. That was fucking intense. I've never felt anything like that in my life." She sat up and looked in my eyes with her heavily lidded ones; her cheeks were flushed. "You know I feel the same way right? I would end without you, Jasper. You are my fucking everything, and I swear to God if you ever leave me..."

"Shh," I stopped her, having felt her becoming upset. "Never. I will _never_ leave you. I promise you." I released the plug on the bath and stood us up, grabbing a couple of towels from the stack next to the tub. I dried us off as she watched me silently, and then picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom staring in her eyes.

"I love you," she said as I gently deposited her on the bed.

"Forever," I answered, kissing her neck and collarbone.

She grew still and I looked back up to her to see her eyes studying the posts of the bed frame. "What's the matter, darlin'?"

She smiled at me mischievously, the twinkle back in her eyes. "This bed's missing one little detail."

I raised an eyebrow at her, ready to continue our love fest. _What the hell was she talking about?_ "Beg pardon?" I asked her.

"Red scarves or black?" she asked with a smirk.

God I love this woman.


	28. Chapter 28

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! I've just returned from a weekend away visiting family and am kicking back with a mimosa (sounded good for some reason) and thought I'd post the SJ Christmas chappie for you guys. Meant to do it before I left town, but was too swamped. As an added belated Christmas gift, I'll also be posting the corresponding second chapter of Dirty Daddy C this evening. That will be all that I post tonight, however, because the HBIC muse has been filling my brain for the last 3 days and I'm dying to write a new chapter for the first time in a month. Of course, it won't be posted until I finish putting up SJ and the already-written chapters of HBIC. Something to look forward to, right?

Also, thanks for all the fab reviews; it was something I truly looked forward to upon my return home and I wasn't disappointed. You guys rock, for reals.

Beta'd by Mynxi, who should probably enjoy the "break" I've given her, because I'm gonna have her busy again before too long.

SM's characters. This fucked up fam her in particular, however, is all mine. Merry Christmas!

**Bella**  
Over the next few weeks we settled into our new life in Boston. We toured the Boston College campus and registered for the classes we'd be taking the upcoming semester. It worked out that if Jazz wasn't in a class with me, at least one of my brothers or my bitches would be. He was adamant that I not be 'alone' in any class. I huffed about it, questioning his trust in me.

"I trust you just fine, darlin'. But I'd hate to have to kill someone that decided he couldn't keep his hands to himself." _Jealous bastard._ Oops, I said that out loud.

"And this is news?" he simply replied. No, I guess it wasn't.

We went out to various bars and clubs, taking in the different kinds of nightlife Boston has to offer. I didn't get as trashed as I did the first time we'd gone out, much to Peter, Emmett, and possibly Char's disappointment. After the intense proclamation of love we'd exchanged and the fact that I felt for myself the profundity of his love, I decided I would try to be a little more respectful of that. Was I never going to get shitfaced and make out with a girlfriend again? It was quite possible that I would, actually, before my change anyway. But I could make a solid effort not to do it quite as often. I call that progress.

The girls and I did manage to get some Christmas shopping done. I mailed a package of all kinds of delectable treats to Ben and Lara (oh, how I missed my bitch; the obscenely expensive chocolates should convey that right?), and shipped a large package to Renee and Phil. I had touched base with Renee letting her know of my move to Boston, a few days after we'd arrived and settled in, telling her of my plan to start school the following month. Oh yeah, and that I'd gotten married. Somehow I hadn't gotten around to telling her that until now.

She freaked out a little, upset that she wasn't invited to the wedding until I told her it was really a spur of the moment decision. She asked if I was pregnant which upset _me_, because fuck, she knew that was a sore fucking subject with me. It was part of why we'd fallen out of contact to begin with. She was furious when I decided to give up custody of Tyler. I couldn't exactly explain the imprinting thing to her, so she took it as me being selfish and irresponsible (yeah pot, meet the fucking kettle), and that I was depriving her of a grandchild by my "abandonment" of him, especially when I forbid her from soliciting any contact with him. Renee had no business in _that_ world, grandson or not, to which Jake agreed. I told her instead that he was placed for adoption so she wouldn't hassle Jake.

She's said some pretty hurtful things, things I hadn't quite forgiven her for, but as my time as a human was now limited, I decided it was time to make amends. I sent them a matching set of luggage and two tickets for a Caribbean cruise. The extravagance of the gift will likely make my mother shit her pants, but I wanted to do it for them, for her, before I couldn't do it anymore.

It was now Christmas Eve, and Carlisle and Esme were due to arrive within the hour. I'd just finished removing the rollers from my hair, shaking out the waves with my fingers, when Jazz came up behind me in the bathroom. He was wearing a dark blue button-down shirt, un-tucked, the sleeves rolled, over a pair of weathered, dark-wash jeans. _Yum_. His blond curls flopped down over one eye as he leaned in and kissed my shoulder. "Stifle those thoughts, darlin'. We don't want to greet the folks with your moans of ecstasy." He smiled at me in the mirror.

"Then you should probably back the fuck away from me with your sexy fucking self."

The doorbell rang. "Guess I'll get that," he said with a smirk and left the room.

I pulled on a snug white sweater with an asymmetrical neckline and three-quarter sleeves, and a very broken-in pair of True Religion jeans that had a rip across one thigh, my knee poking out of a hole on the other leg. I swiped on some gloss and headed in the direction of the voices I heard in the kitchen and family room. I could hear Carlisle and Esme, but I also heard an unfamiliar female voice and, no fucking way! _Edward?_

I stopped first into the family room and greeted Esme. "Mom," I said as her arms surrounded me tightly. "Thank so much again for what you did with this place, you really outdid yourself."

"It was my pleasure, honey! Besides, I had a lot of fun with it," she smiled at me. Carlisle was standing off to the side, chatting with Jasper and Edward; I walked over to greet him. "Daddy C, you're looking well as always."

"Ah, beautiful Bella, there you are!" he said, quickly giving me the once-over and pulling me in for a hug. I glanced over his shoulder, seeing Edward's exasperated expression while Jasper's eyes were narrowed… in jealousy? Were these two going to fight again?

I pulled away from Carlisle's embrace. "What's with you two? It's fucking Christmas, could we try to get along?" I asked. I ignored Esme's quiet "Tsk-tsk"-ing as Jasper gently took me by my arm and pulled me away from Carlisle to stand beside him, his arm snug around my waist. Ugh, the possessive thing again. I then realized his eyes weren't narrowed at Edward, but at Carlisle, who looked like he'd be blushing if he were able to, and his eyes were slightly downcast. Oh, I think I get it now. Huh, wow. Just what kind of thoughts and feelings had been going through him just now?

"Come on, there's someone you need to meet," Jasper said as he led me to the kitchen where Peter, Char, Rose, and Emmett were talking to the mystery woman. Her back was to me, but she seemed vaguely familiar somehow, with her long strawberry-blond ringlets that tumbled down her back to her waist, and long legs that rivaled Rose's that were encased in thick black tights under a grey pleated miniskirt. This must be… OH! My mind flashed back to a fuzzy memory from a night not too long after I'd started working at the Junction.

_I was serving tables with a bit of a buzz due to the four shots of Cuervo I'd already taken to do a couple of bar-dances. I was getting better at it, but I did even better when I didn't have a nearly crippling case of nerves while standing on a counter five feet from the ground. Thank you Cuervo. I stopped by a table that had three drop-dead gorgeous women, who had been joined at their table by two men since I'd started serving them tonight. It appeared those two men would be getting lucky tonight, but I wondered what the story was with the third woman who seemed uninterested. She was hot enough to have her pick of any man in here, so why wasn't she hooked up? _

"_Can I get you guys another round here?" I asked. The men held up their glasses indicating two more beers, while the three women who had barely touched their drinks politely shook their heads no. _

"_We're still doing good," the fifth-wheel woman said, tossing her strawberry-blond curls over her shoulder. She looked me up and down and smiled. "Speaking of good, you were working it up there girl. You looked hot. How does one get to see you do that again?"_

"_One hundred dollar minimum tip," I answered. Fuck. I didn't want to dance again, although something in her eyes was making me reconsider that. She was smokin'. She held up two Benjamins, which she then folded and tucked into my cleavage. Now had a man tried that, he would've gotten knocked the fuck out. I would make an exception for Strawberry-Blonde Hottie._

"_Make it something sexy," she whispered, and then winked at me. _

"_You got it," I said to her with a smile. And I did._

_She was waiting for me when I got off from work. I had a pretty healthy buzz going from all the Cuervo I'd shot over the course of the night, so I stumbled a little (damned ridiculously high heel shoes, I look like a fucking stripper!) in my surprise to see her standing there. _

"_Can I give you a ride?" she purred. Yes, please. I looked over at Lara, who rolled her eyes as she unlocked her car, and shook her head at me with a grin. "Go, I'll see you at home later. I'd hit that too," she added in a stage whisper. I scowled at her. Bitch. She laughed and got into her car._

_Strawberry-Blonde Hottie cocked her head questioningly. "My roommate," I explained._

"_Maybe we should go to my place then," she suggested, stroking a manicured finger down my cheek._

"_Uh, ok? Where's that?" I was trying to figure out how I was going to get home, but between those startling green eyes and that finger now tracing my jaw, I was a little incoherent._

"_The Hyatt Regency. My sisters and I are just passing though town and decided we'd like a little company for the night. As you may have noticed from earlier, they are taken care of for the evening; however I'm still feeling rather lonely. You'll keep me company tonight, won't you?"_

_I nodded dumbly. "Fantastic," she whispered and leaned forward to touch her lips to mine. I closed my eyes, but when I felt her lips they flew back open again. Her lips were cold and firm. I looked carefully at her eyes, checking for red or topaz. Nope, still green, so she couldn't be… I dismissed the thought, and figured she'd just gotten some botox or something. She was too beautiful for it all to be natural._

"_Let's go," I said and got inside her rental car, a sporty Lexus sedan. I fished my flask out of my purse, took a swig and offered it to her. She shook her head no, so I took one heartier swig, relishing the burn, and put it back into my purse. "By the way, I'm Bella," I said, holding out my hand to shake hers. _

_She took my hand and placed it on her very firm thigh, which was encased in the thick black tights she wore under that sweet little denim skirt she had on, and then she placed her hand high on my thigh, stroking gently as she looked in my eyes. She moved her face close to mine and I could smell her intoxicatingly sweet breath. "I'm very pleased to meet you Bella, and even more anxious to get to know you better," she murmured, and her tongue suddenly darted out to trace my lower lip. "And by the way, I'm-"_

"Tanya?" I asked. She turned around; her now-topaz eyes grew wide. _Contacts. I fucking knew it. This bitch dazzled the shit out of me that night._

"Bella?" she asked incredulously.

"_Are you fucking KIDDING ME?"_ Our heads whipped around in time to see Edward flip his fucking wig. Ah, shit. Tanya probably just gave him quite the visual if she was thinking about the night we'd spent together. Sorry Eddie. And, by the way? You are a _very _lucky man.

Alarmed by Edward's outburst, Jasper placed himself immediately between me and Edward, and growled defensively. "Easy Jazz," I said quietly. "He's got a good reason to be upset."

"What's wrong, do you two know each other?" Rose asked, confused.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you could say we do. In the biblical sense," I said getting the point across as gently as possible, as I gauged Jasper's reaction to this bit of news. He looked about two seconds from his eyes popping out of their sockets.

"You and Tanya," he asked slowly.

"Had a one night stand," I finished. May as well put it out there; no secrets in this family right?

Rose, Char, Emmett, and Esme's eyes now looked like Jasper's; Peter grinned like the fucking shithead he is, and Carlisle looked… thoughtful. Uh oh.

"DO YOU FUCKING MIND?" Jasper and Edward snarled at him in unison.

Carlisle's eyes dropped to the floor. "Sorry," he said quietly as Esme stared daggers at him. An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"_Awwwkwarrrd…"_ Emmett said quietly in a sing-song falsetto, which was some funny fucking shit right there.

I couldn't help it; I started busting up because the whole situation was seriously fucked up and what else was there to do about it? Everyone with the exception of Edward and Jasper joined in and, after a bit, even the corners of Jasper's lips betrayed the smile he was trying so hard to suppress.

"_Well I'm glad you all find this so fucking funny!"_ Edward hissed and stormed from the room.

The thought suddenly occurred to me. I turned to Tanya. "You two are mated now?"

She nodded, gaining control of her mirth. "Yes, for a little over a month now," she said.

"Huh," I replied. "You know, I thought he wouldn't be quite so uptight after he…" I trailed off, but she knew what I meant.

"Yeaaah, no. But we're working on it. I better go find him, excuse me."

"Of course," I said and she hurried from the room.

I turned to find five sets of eyes staring at me. Esme's eyes, however, were still glaring at Carlisle, while he stared at the floor. "What?" I asked the others. "You are all well aware that I've been less than innocent in recent years."

"Yeah, but _Tanya_?" Rose asked. "How come you never mentioned it?"

I snorted. "There are a lot of one night stands I haven't mentioned, Rose."

Carlisle's head shot up in my direction and then he glanced at Esme and looked back down to the floor. Jasper's eyes narrowed again. _Fuck._

"What I meant is I went through kind of a wild streak okay? It's not exactly a period of my life that I'm fucking proud of," I explained, as I watched Jasper.

"I would think that the vampire one night stand would've come up," Rose replied, raising an eyebrow at me. _God! Fucking drop it Rosalie!_

"Fuck! I'd forgotten all about it until I saw her standing here. And at the time, yeah, I'd suspected it briefly but she must've worn contacts because her eyes were green. I was also pretty buzzed by the time we hooked up and I guess I didn't really notice her body temperature at that point."

"Is there anyone else I should know about?" Jasper asked quietly. I looked at him to see if he was angry, but he just looked cautious as he continued. "It's a little weird is all; I just want to be prepared if there are others-"

Okay, _now _I was angry. "Because I'm such a slut I'll fuck anything without a pulse?" I snapped. I immediately felt a wave of calm and apology.

"No darlin', that's not what I meant and you know it. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. What's in the past is in the past." He put his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

I looked around to the others, and noticed Carlisle and Esme had gone. "Did they go to help Tanya with Edward?" I asked.

Peter chuckled. "No, I'm pretty sure Carlisle's getting his ass handed to him by Esme at the moment."

"What's up with him anyway?" I asked. Rose shrugged as Peter and Emmett rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

"You're hot," Emmett replied, as though that answered everything.

Rose frowned at him. "What the fuck does that they have to do with anything?" she asked him crossly.

"That means that Carlisle's feelings toward Bella are far less paternal than they used to be. And if he doesn't get control over it, I'll be handing his balls to him after Esme hands him his ass," Jasper stated matter-of-factly.

"That bad huh?" I asked, probably sounding a little naïve. Jasper remained stoic, but Emmett and Peter nodded vigorously.

**Edward**  
I never cursed my 'gift' as much as I did the moment I saw, in Tanya's mind, the image of Bella's eyes gazing up to hers as she traced her tongue from Tanya's navel down to her- _Fuck_! Surely God hated me. First He sees fit to give the love of my life to my brother, but only after she'd besmirched herself in promiscuity and taken to behave in such lewd ways. And now this.

I couldn't handle any more of the glimpses I kept getting of Carlisle's fantasies of the image of Bella dancing erotically in those tight leather pants on top of the bar, followed by her moving the dance to his lap. I knew Carlisle had a penchant for naughty girls; it came into play many times in he and Esme's sexual relationship (_more gratuitous imagery I wish I could bleach from my mind_), as well as the occasional fantasy about random bad girls he happened to come across. Carlisle never touched, but he did look and he had a very active imagination. That never bothered me so much before, but this was _Bella_, whom he had once thought of only as a cherished daughter. His thoughts of her were obviously no longer so innocent. I couldn't help but be disgusted by it, so I left.

The Denalis welcomed me, especially Tanya, who'd been after me for decades. I always put off her advances, until the evening I received the phone call from Carlisle that Bella and Jasper had married in Vegas._ How tawdry, _was my first thought. But I also realized then that I'd lost Bella for good and I flew into a rage.

Tanya found me in my anger and placed her hands gently on my arms in effort to calm me down. Furious, I slammed her against the wall, pinning her hands above her head and growled at her. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the scent of her arousal, and I gave in to my primal instinct, taking her roughly against the wall. We'd been together ever since. She was slowly helping to heal my emotional wounds and I began to develop rather deep feelings for her. Was it love? I think it was certainly headed there, I had no doubt. But I had more healing to do before I could give myself to her completely. Well, _this_ was not going to help matters.

Now that this had come to light, I would forever have those images burned in my brain; my current love being pleasured by my former reason-for-existence. The images that shot through Carlisle's mind were even worse; his lust level must have matched the images, because Jasper's reaction to it was just as angry as mine. What the fuck was wrong with him; can vampires suffer from sexual addiction? Esme entertained a vision of stringing him up by his testicles. She didn't care for his less than fatherly reactions to Bella as of late, though being the kind soul she is, she didn't hold it against Bella. A lesser woman, Rose for example, would not be so generous.

I heard Tanya's apologetic thoughts before she spoke. "Edward, are you okay?"

"What do you think, Tanya?" She was trying really hard not to think about her night with Bella, which I appreciated. "Thanks," I said quietly.

_I'm trying sweetheart. I know you don't want to see that. _"I'm sorry Edward. Had I known who she was at the time I would never have approached her."

I knew she was telling the truth. "I know Tanya. You just have to understand how difficult it was to see that."

"I'm sure it was very difficult for you," she said quietly.

"I would be grateful if you could do your best not to think about it. Please." I told her as I pulled her into my arms.

"Of course, darling," she said. I bent my head to kiss her. "But you may want to express that to Carlisle as well." I stopped, my body going stiff.

"Shit Tanya, thanks for _that_."

She giggled. "So Uncle Carlisle's a dirty old man. Kate, Irina, and I have known that for years, you can't be surprised."

"He never used to be that way with Bella," I groused.

"Bella was a naïve seventeen year old child at the time," she said.

"Do you forget that I'm seventeen?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"No, you are one hundred and eleven, and I'm not terribly far behind you," she argued with a smirk. She suddenly covered my mouth with hers, kissing me deeply, and filled her thoughts with images of the two of us making love. She pulled away with a smirk. "Better?"

"Much better," I growled. Her images had awakened my lust which, after lying dormant for so many years, had recently become a very dominant emotion within me. I turned and locked the door of the guestroom we were in.

"Edward, they're probably waiting for us," she said warily as I pulled her down to the bed.

"They can wait a little longer."

**Jasper**  
Once the initial shock of Bella and Tanya's past wore off, we managed to salvage a fairly pleasant Christmas Eve. Carlisle and Esme rejoined us first with Esme sparing him a final warning glance and Carlisle looked at me apologetically. I could feel the sincerity of his apology, laced with a moderate amount of guilt. We would have to talk later. I mean, I get it; my Bella is one smokin' hot gal, but the key word is MY Bella. I never thought I would have to establish boundaries with 'dear old Dad', but if he couldn't keep Lil' Carl in check we were going to have an issue.

Bella seemed amused by it if anything. She was used to men and _women_, apparently, of all ages lusting after her. I think that if Carlisle had ever been a true father figure to her, I believe she'd be a little more disgusted by it all. _Hmmm. Why wasn't she disgusted by it?_

"Knock it off," she whispered while elbowing me in my side, having caught me scowling at Carlisle. "I'm yours," she reminded me, and that's all it took. I relaxed.

Edward and Tanya came back about an hour later. Tanya's hair was a little mussed, as was Edward's but then his hair always looked that way, and while Edward's face exuded calm, I knew he'd just gotten his rocks off somethin' _fierce_. Picking up on my thoughts, he turned to me with a look of minor annoyance, but I could feel his pride. _'You can't fool me, remember?'_ I thought to him with a smirk. I reached my hand out to him in a fist. He stared at it for a moment, surprised, and then reached his own out to bump it, meeting my eyes with a grin.

Emmett, who's spent entirely too much time with Peter, had to ruin the fucking moment when he caught our silent interaction. "Whoa, whoa wait a second! What's this Bro? If I didn't know better, I'd say you just got laid! Is our little Eddie a man now?"

The room went silent with the exception of Peter's snort and the sound of Rose's hand connecting with the back of Emmett's head.

"I wouldn't exactly call him 'little', Emmett," Tanya cracked, breaking the silence. Edward beamed with pride, exuding an undercurrent of lust, as I was sure Tanya was sending some nice visualization his way.

"Fucking finally!" cried Bella. "Now can we please just move the fuck on from our family's sexual exploits and celebrate Christmas for chrissakes?"

"Bella, language!" Esme admonished.

"Sorry, Mom."

"Actually, I kind of think that's the point, Sugar," Char said to Bella.

"What's that, Wifey?" asked Bella curiously.

"Christmas for Christ's sake. That _is_ the point of the holiday, is it not?" replied Char with a heavy hint of sarcasm.

"Huh, you might be right," Bella said with a grin. She suddenly had a twinkle of mischief in her eyes; talk about hanging out with Peter too much. She turned her focus to Carlisle. "Is she right, Carlisle? You were there weren't you?" She batted her eyes at him innocently as he gaped at her in surprise. Esme suppressed a giggle, but the rest of us pretty much busted up at the expression on Carlisle's face.

"Uh, no Bella. That was at least seven hundred years before I was born; I'm not _that_ old," he huffed.

"Geesh, Daddy C, calm down, I was just joking. You're right, I should be more respectful of my elders," she said mock-apologetically, but I could _feel_ her smirk, and couldn't help but sport a smirk of my own.

"Uh, well sure, yes. Respect…" he said and trailed off uncomfortably.

I think my awkward conversation with 'Daddy C' had just been averted.


	29. Chapter 29

I love you guys. That is all.

Beta'd by my Mynxi.

SM's characters, I've only added the Awesome.

**Bella**  
The rest of the family's visit was pretty uneventful. Edward's post-hissyfit romp with Tanya lightened him the fuck up, finally, so it was nice not having to deal with his pissiness. It almost felt like a normal family get-together.

Tanya and I got to know each other on a non-sexual level, though at one point while we were talking, I heard Edward clear his throat from across the room. She glanced at him apologetically and when she resumed her conversation with me she looked as though she was concentrating very hard. Poor Tanya. I couldn't blame her though, that night was pretty awesome.

Christmas morning I received a phone call from a very excited and emotional Renee thanking me for the cruise tickets. Keeping the conversation short, I promised to come visit her soon, maybe for Spring Break. She insisted on my putting Jasper on the phone so she could also personally thank her new son-in-law. Jasper turned on the Southern charm, and by the time he handed the phone back to me she was putty in his hands. "Bella, he sounds absolutely dreamy!" she gushed. "I can't wait to meet him. You've got to send me a picture; does he look as delicious as he sounds?" Jasper chuckled at Renee's schoolgirl-like exclamations as I just rolled my eyes and promised to send her a picture of the two of us soon, and then wished her a Merry Christmas before hanging up.

When we exchanged gifts with the family, I received a 64G iPod Touch from Rose and Emmett, filled with all the tunes I'm constantly begging Emmett to play on his. Peter and Char got me a bottle of Gran Patron Platinum and a lovely set of crystal shot glasses. Jasper immediately took the tequila and said he'd give it back after Carlisle and Tanya were gone. Party pooper. Esme gave me some new sweaters and jeans, albeit much more conservative in taste than what I'd been wearing. I wondered if she was trying to tell me something.

Jasper gave me a pair of hand-stitched purple leather cowboy boots that fit like a glove and a suede cowboy hat in a matching shade. "I expect you to model those for me later, darlin'," he said with a wink. Edward groaned softly.

"Sorry man," Jasper said to him, not looking sorry in the least.

Edward presented me with a fantastic Louis Vuitton messenger bag. "Good luck in school," he said a little awkwardly. I thanked him and meant it, because he really didn't have to get me anything; I'd been pretty bitchy to him since his return. He smiled and said it was nice I'd finally learned how to graciously accept gifts. I wanted to tell him it was nice he'd finally gotten laid and removed the stick from his ass, but I refrained. It really was a lovely bag.

They all departed the day after Christmas; Carlisle and Esme headed back to Connecticut and Edward returned to Alaska with Tanya. I hoped those two crazy kids were going to make it; Tanya was good for his corncob-stuffed ass.

I received an email labeled "Holiday Eggnog" that afternoon from Lexi. Attached was a picture of Tyler sitting in the middle of an elaborately constructed Hot Wheels track, holding up a car with a wide grin.

_He's really into cars now, wonder where that comes from? Hope you're having a great Christmas!  
Lexi_

I replied "_Got it, loved it! Merry Christmas!_ _Stella",_ deleting the portion showing her message before I sent it. Our covert system seemed to be working pretty well; I hoped we'd be able to keep Jake in the dark about it for the foreseeable future. I printed the picture and tacked it to the little cork message board we kept in the kitchen. Seeing his picture didn't hurt like it used to, for which I was grateful. Having come so close to losing that last small connection I had to Tyler made me realize how important those updates had been to me. It meant a lot to be able to keep that little part of him. I took it for granted before; I wouldn't again.

Death threats from Jake aside, I was in a good place in my life. Day by day, Jasper and my new family made me feel whole again. While I still enjoyed my occasional drinks, I found myself no longer escaping with alcohol. Jasper was my new drug of choice, an addiction I had no desire to overcome. And while I still missed my best bitch Lara, Char and Rose were the best sisters I could have ever wished for. Those bitches were as crazy as I am; I could only imagine the kind of trouble we'll be as a team once I go vamp.

Emmett was the ultimate big brother; he made fun of me, made me laugh and he always had my back. Even on the rare occasion Jasper would decide go all dickhead on me (empaths can sometimes be moody sum'bitches), Emmett's the first one in his face to tell him to 'back the fuck off.'

And Peter… oh Peter. We'd developed an interesting relationship. It wasn't brotherly per se, nor was it romantic; although the perv had made it clear the door to his and Char's bedroom was always open, an offer that Jasper was less than thrilled about. Petey and I were pals; pals that loved to get under each other's skin and occasionally make one another miserable, but we 'got' each other. In truth, we were a lot alike. I was curious to see how our relationship will be affected by his participation in my change. As much as he jokes about becoming my "poppa", I tended to believe he'd be as about as much a father-figure as Carlisle had been as of late.

And seriously, what was up with Carlisle? He seemed to mellow out on the mind-porn after I gave him shit about being a multi-centenarian. The fact that he'd been even having those types of thoughts was… a little flattering actually. Seriously, Daddy C was a big bucket of Delicious, yes, with the capital D; I had thought that from the first time I laid eyes on him. If I wasn't attached mind, body and soul to Jasper, I _totally_ would've had a lot more fun with the side of Carlisle that until now, I'd never known existed.

Esme never treated me any differently than as a daughter, so I guessed that she and I were good despite Carlisle's tendency for inappropriate thoughts about me. Immortal or not, she had a heart of gold, and I loved her so much for being a mom figure for me, even though physically, we were pretty close in age now.

Finally, the winter semester began at Boston College. Mondays and Wednesdays had me in Fundamentals of Human Psychology with Peter and Emmett, Modern History I with Jazz, and Astronomy with the whole group of them. Tuesdays and Thursdays I had Philosophy of Human Existence with Jazz and Char, Linear Math and Applications with Jazz and Rose, and Love, Sexuality, & Gender in European Literary Translation (could they come up with longer course names?) with Peter. I figured that good times were sure to follow in _that_ particular course with Peter, and he didn't disappoint. I was pretty sure the professor hated him though.

I kept Fridays light with Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World with Rose and Char in the morning, and then would spend the rest of my time on campus in the library while the others were in class.

I rolled my eyes as Jasper walked with me on campus, his arm around me and a look on his face like he just _dared_ a motherfucker to approach me. Silly possessive vampire. What I wasn't prepared for was the female reaction to _him_. I mean, I'm used to women checking my Jasper out, but some of these horny college girls just didn't give a fuck if a hot guy was attached, married or whatever. Jasper's fine ass was definitely on their radar.

The lecture hall for Modern History was about two-thirds full, so Jazz and I took a seat toward the back. There were a couple of girls seated in the row behind us, who looked at Jazz appreciatively as we sat down. Great. Jasper was telling me about the Theology class he had with Char when I happened to pick up on the conversation going on behind us.

"…_enough that he is hot as fuck, but that accent? Ungh! Saddle up cowboy!"_ They laughed. I turned around and they were definitely checking out Jasper. I glared at them long enough to make eye contact, and then turned back around in a huff. Yeah I fucking huffed, shut up. Jasper chuckled.

"What's the matter darlin'?" he asked, as if he didn't fucking know.

"_I don't know what that bitch thinks she's looking at. Oh wait, I do; she's looking at the girls who are about to take her man."_ Bitch reminded me of Jessica Stanley, which had her about 'thisclose' to a fucking beat-down. I started to stand up when Jasper placed a restraining hand on my thigh and threw some calm my way.

"Ignore them, darlin'. You know who I belong to," he murmured in my ear, and then traced the shell with the tip of his tongue. Damn right, eat that bitches. I shuddered at the sensation and turned my head to touch my lips to his. Unable to resist, I raised my hand behind my head and gave those bitches the finger as Jasper shoved his tongue down my throat. That's what's up.

I got into the groove of being a student pretty quickly, realizing how much I thirsted for knowledge, and had missed being in a learning environment. I'd been a good student in the past, before my dark days, and I quickly resumed those habits. Since I didn't have the luxury of crystal clear recollection or the ability to do homework and write papers at vampire speed, I spent a lot more time hitting the books and a lot less time, as in zero, partying. I enjoyed my classes, especially the Human Psych class with Emmett and Peter. They would do hilarious shit like discuss the dreams they had, total bullshit of course, with the professor, and ask what type of mental or behavioral disorders they may have to cause such crazy dreams. Peter always had questions regarding sexuality and what Freud would have thought about certain scenarios, apparently trying to see just how uncomfortable he could make our instructor. The day that Emmett discussed dreaming about wrestling a bear and ripping its throat out, the professor actually asked him to stay after class and when Emmett did, he handed him a card for a counselor, recommending he call and set up an appointment as soon as possible.

Jasper was uneasy, at first, about my solo study time in the library, but it worked out to where I was alone for only two hours. I actually found my time of solitude in the library rather peaceful; it wasn't so often these days that I truly had time to myself. I'd take my iPod out, plug in and tune out for two hours until someone, usually Rose, would show up. Sometimes we'd leave at that time and other times, if I was really deep in a study session, she'd pull up to the table and join me. We would be approached by the occasional overly friendly male student; those with legitimate study intentions were allowed to join us, those who weren't were encouraged to move along. For some reason, there weren't very many females that showed interest in studying or hanging out with us. Whatever.

One Friday, I had a good study session going while Rose was texting Emmett, having already finished her math homework, when Char arrived. Her class had ended early due to the teacher being called away with an emergency at home. She and Rose whispered quietly and at vampire speed between the two of them as I finished taking notes on the section I was studying for an upcoming Human Psych exam. When I put my pencil down, they were both staring at me.

"Alright bitches, what's the plan?" I asked. The look in Char's eyes told me there was definitely a plan brewing.

"We want to go out." Char stated.

"And?" I prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"Like really go out, dress nice and go somewhere fun, like one of the local bars all the kids are hanging out at. There's this one where a band is playing; it sounds like it'll be a good time. We haven't done anything fun since classes started, and well, you've gotten kind boring, sugar," Char said a little accusingly.

"Oh, excuse me for being human and having to actually study and shit, my bad," I retorted, rolling my eyes.

"We're going out Bella, if we have to do it by force," said Rose. "I'm fucking bored with staying home every weekend."

"Who said you needed me to go out? You guys are perfectly capable of entertaining yourselves. Besides, I don't know if Jazz would be up to going to some bar full of college kids…"

"Sugar, it just wouldn't be as much fun without you," Char began to whine, but was interrupted by Rose.

"Wow, Bells, when did you turn back into a shrinking violet? '_Oh boo-hoo, I can't go because Jasper might not like it',"_ she mocked.

Oh, no that bitch didn't. "Wow, really Rose? He's been your brother for how many years? Do you really not know what you are setting him up for?"

"Just stay away from the tequila and don't act like a slut. You'll both be fine," Rose stated with a toss of her hair.

I sighed. A night out drinking and dancing _did_ sound like fun. I've been on the good student shtick for weeks, and could use a night of letting loose and getting a little crazy. Just a little. Still, it sounded like a bad idea, so of course… "Alright, I'm in."

We decided to avoid giving the guys any real detail as to exactly where we were going tonight, though I could tell Peter had his reservations. "Don't push him too hard tonight, Stella. Environments with high emotions running can become a dangerous setting with the Major."

"Alright Petey, I promise," I said, going as far to make the criss-cross motion with my finger over my heart.

I kept my outfit low-key compared to my typical going-out attire: dark wash skinny jeans tucked into my shiny black high heel boots with one of the sweaters Esme gave me – a dark grey cable-knit that hung just above my black belt with silver studs. I wore a black knit newsboy-style hat over my hair, which I'd left down and wavy. Silver hoop earrings and my favorite chunky silver right-hand ring completed the outfit.

Jasper wore a navy blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled, unbuttoned part-way over a white wife beater, and distressed relaxed fit jeans with a wallet chain, Doc Martins, and his charcoal grey fedora. Hell, with him looking like that, it may be _me_ getting into the fight tonight. He picked up on my lust and chuckled, pulling me close and kissing me on the neck. "Glad you approve, darlin'."

We met the others in the living room. Rose and Char had gone a little saucier with their outfits, but that was for their men to worry about. Rose wore an emerald green off-shoulder blouse over a denim mini-skirt and black suede thigh high boots, a silver cuff on her arm, and her blonde tresses hung in loose, casual waves over her shoulders and down her back. Wifey even slutted it up a little with a snug fitting blood-red button-down blouse, which she'd unbuttoned low enough to show a generous peek of cleavage, and a pair of black cigarette trousers with black Christian Laboutin peep-toe platform heels.

Emmett was in a black button-down, un-tucked with rolled sleeves, and dark jeans and black Timberland boots; Peter was in a white button-down shirt, rolled sleeves, tucked into a pair of dark jeans and a belt with a large silver buckle and cowboy boots. I groaned inwardly. Not to sound egotistical, but we looked way too fucking sexy as a group not to get in trouble tonight.

We loaded up in the Escalade Emmett and Rose had purchased not long after our move to Boston, and Char gave Emmett the directions to the bar. Jasper groaned as we pulled up in front of the bar, seeing all the college kids milling around outside. We could already hear the pulsing sounds of the band that was rocking inside. "You've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me," he muttered. "You want me to hang out with a bunch of drunk and horny college kids on a Friday night? Hell no!"

"C'mon Bro, it'll be fine," Emmett said as Peter looked at me knowingly. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for putting Jasper in this position, which Jazz picked up on right away.

"You knew where we were going didn't you? You didn't think maybe it was a bad idea? Come on Bella, you _know_ how it is for me in places like this. Not fuckin' cool, sweetheart." He wasn't happy with me, and I immediately felt bad for not being straight with him.

"I'm sorry baby," I said sincerely. He just glared at me.

Rose spoke up. "Jasper, don't be mad at her; Char and I told her we weren't telling any of you guys where we were going. Peter and Emmett didn't know either, right guys?" They shook their heads no, but Peter looked a little wary as he did so.

"Not the same thing and you fucking know it Rose; I'm the only one here that soaks up the emotional atmosphere like a fucking sponge. Whatever games you and Char pull on your mates is of no concern to me. This is between me and Bella," said Jasper, rather pissily, may I add.

"Bro, we're here now, let's just check it out. We can always leave if it's too much for you, alright?" asked Emmett.

I looked at Jasper apologetically.

He sighed and opened his door. "Fine, let's do it. But _you,_", he pointed at me, the expression on his face showing he was not even remotely fucking around, "Your ass stays beside me the whole time we are here. No exceptions."

"Okay Jazz," I agreed.

"And if I catch you even _smelling_ a shot of tequila…"

"ALRIGHT Jazz! Jesus, I got it, best behavior. Fuck!"

His eyes narrowed at my off-the-cuff response but, damn it, he was starting to act like he was my fucking father or something and it was pissing me right the fuck off; getting all Doucheward on me or something. I opened my mouth to speak but caught Peter shaking his head minutely at me, so I closed it again and bit back my smart-assery with a nod. If it was getting bad enough for Peter to feel the need to warn me, then I'd better take his word for it.

We all got out and headed for the bar. I could hear the music thumping in an upbeat rock tempo as we approached. There were people standing around outside smoking and talking, though they grew quiet as we passed by. It was almost like one of those cheesy 80s movies; I was just waiting for John Cusack or Andrew McCarthy to show up. But I guess this is what happens when the beautiful people show up. Fucking-A; I was one of the beautiful people.

**Jasper**  
This was a bad fuckin' idea. As we entered the bar, the lust, which was already at a feverish level, absolutely skyrocketed as all these horny assholes got their eyes full of the girls. Of course some of the females were appreciatin' the sight of us guys, but I could really care less.

We stopped by the crowded bar where Bella ordered a round of beers, handing one to each of us. "I'm sticking to beer tonight, ok? No shots, no hard stuff," she told me. I gave her a stiff nod, still not entirely happy with her at the moment.

Since when did Bella succumb to peer pressure, regardless of the fact said 'peers' were vampires? She'd had no trouble holding her own with them til now, which told me she really wanted to be here. Her guilt she was feelin' told me that she'd also known ahead of time this was a bad fuckin' idea, yet here we are. Hope I don't end up killing someone tonight.

She and I hung back near the bar while the others went up closer to the stage to watch the band and dance. Bella ordered a second beer, and then a third. Her mood was getting more and more unhappy; I glanced over at her and saw her watching Rose and Char dancing with Peter and Emmett. She was miserable. As much as I was still annoyed with her deceit, I also didn't want her feeling as unhappy as she was. She'd been working pretty hard for the last several weeks and had been looking forward to a night out.

"Do you want to dance, darlin'?" I murmured in her ear.

She gave a little shake of her head. "No, it's okay, baby," she said. I could hear a tinge of sadness in her voice. "I don't need to dance." But she wanted to.

I took her hand and led her toward where the others were. I placed her hand I was holding behind my neck, and then pulled the other, still holding the beer, up to join it, and pulled her body close to mine. I could feel jealousy flare in those surrounding us, but I blocked it out, focusing only on my Bella. We moved quietly to the music; she rested her head on my chest as I stroked her back.

"I'm sorry Jazz," she said quietly. "It had sounded like fun, but it's not fun knowing you're uncomfortable."

"I ain't gonna lie Bella. I don't like deceit and, to me, that's what tonight's situation amounted to. You knew I wouldn't feel right in a place like this and yet you still brought me here with no warning in anyway. That's not how you and I operate."

She nodded in my chest and I could feel her on the verge of tears. "Hey, now; none of that, no tears. We're here and this seems like a mellow enough bunch. The band's pretty good too. Let's just get beyond this and have a good time here, alright darlin'?"

She nodded. "Okay. I love you baby," she said and then popped up on her toes to kiss me. We danced together for awhile, until the band started to play a song with a fast rhythm, not exactly my style for dancin'. She drained her beer, and I took her bottle from her. "Want another?"

She smiled, "Yeah I would."

I kissed her forehead. "Go dance with the girls, I'll be right back." Peter decided to join me while Emmett stayed back to dance with the girls, and discourage any fool that might try to dance with them. He met my eye and gave me a nod, which I reciprocated. My brother understood where I was coming from; he gets just as jealous over Rose as I do over Bella.

Peter walked with me to the bar to get the beer. "You holding up alright man?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Shit just pissed me off earlier," I said, and he nodded.

"I wasn't real happy with Char over the secrecy shit either, and I let her know about it."

"Whatever man, it's cool. We needed a night out; this just wouldn't have been my first choice."

We watched the girls and Emmett dancing together while we waited for the beer. Bella and Char were dancing together while Rose was rubbing herself all over Emmett. A well-built guy stepped behind Bella and started dancing close to her back. I saw his hands starting to go to her hips and was about to go break them off for him when Bella whipped around and shoved him with a firm, "Fuck off!" Emmett was there beside her in a millisecond before the guy could even formulate a response to her. The guy was big but Emmett was much bigger. He backed away with his hands raised. "Alright dude, chill." _Well played_, I thought to myself with a grin.

Finally the bartender had Bella's beer and as I was turning to go back to the dance floor, I heard, "Well hello, cowboy."

I turned back around and saw the pair of girls from my and Bella's Modern History class. They hadn't been exactly shy in their observations and discussions about what they'd like to do to and with me. Bella had only been privy to a fraction of what they'd discussed and the little she'd heard had her ready to throw down.

"Hi," I said politely. Mistake. The trashy blond one sidled up to me while her redhead friend stepped close to Peter, who unfortunately had an amused expression on his face; something these girls took as a sign they were welcome to continue talking to us.

"I'm Tessa," said the blonde, "and this is my best friend Noelle. We do _everything_ together," she purred quite suggestively.

"Er, how nice for you two. Now if you'll excuse us," I said, attempting to make my way around them. Tessa grabbed my arm and then squealed.

"Oh my GOD! Your arms are, like, rock hard! I bet you're nicely cut under that shirt aren't you?" She licked her lips as she continued stroking my arm. I pulled it out of her grasp, looking toward Peter for a little assistance, but he wasn't faring much better with Noelle, who was running her fingers down his chest.

"I know what you mean Tess," Noelle answered her friend, before turning her attention back to Peter. "You're as prime cut as your buddy, here aren't you?" she cooed at Peter. "What's your name honey?"

"Um, Peter," he answered, sounding a little uncomfortable, which under other circumstances I'd be giving him a heaping amount of shit over. I looked at him incredulously, as in _'Why would you tell her your name?'_ He widened his eyes and shrugged at me. Dumbass.

"I've heard your little girlfriend call you Jazz," Tessa said to me, now picking imaginary fluff off of my shirt. Lust was oozing from her. "Can I call you Jazz? Or I can call you anything you want…"

I lifted my left hand, showing her my wedding band. "She ain't my little girlfriend, she's my wife," I told her firmly.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed "Your wife? How did a hot thing like you get tied down so young? She tell you she's knocked up or something?"

As she spoke, I smelled the tell-tale scent of cherry blossoms, and felt a fury that was rising with each word. At "knocked up" it went nuclear.

Bella was suddenly in Tessa's face, catching the blonde by surprise. "You've got two seconds to back the fuck up off my husband you fucking whore or you'll be picking your teeth up from the floor."

Tessa gasped and opened her mouth to speak and Bella shoved her backward, using both hands, causing Tessa to land on her ass.

"Hey listen, bitch!" Noelle started, poorly choosing to keep her hand upon Peter's chest while she addressed Bella. She suddenly had her wrist in Char's vice grip, as Char hissed "You wanna join your friend at the dentist on Monday, sugar? Keep talkin' and keep touchin' my man and I'll be happy to arrange that for you." She gave Noelle a little shove, landing her on the floor next to her friend.

Tessa stood up and squared off to Bella. "Think I'm scared of you, you nasty little cunt? I'll beat your a-" and in a flash, Bella's fist collided with Tessa's mouth, her ring making a crunching sound as it connected with Tessa's teeth. I stopped breathing immediately in anticipation of blood, sensing Char and Peter do likewise, and then I threw a wave of calm at the whole group.

Bella relaxed a little, but was still glaring narrow-eyed at Tessa, whose mouth was dripping blood. I felt the monster stir at the sight, but suppressed it. "Talk to my man again, hell, _look_ at my man again, and I. Will. Fuck. You. Up. Got it, bitch?" Bella growled, fucking _growled_, which then woke up an altogether different monster within me.

"Time to go, darlin'," I said quietly, and gently took her arm. I had to tug at her a little to get her moving; I could still feel her seething. Peter and Char followed, with Char sparing a last frightening glare Noelle's way. Noelle shuddered and looked at the floor.

Emmett and Rose were already outside. Rose looked pissed. I looked at Emmett curiously.

"We saw the fight. Rosie was ready to get in there to back up Bella and Char, but when Bella hit that girl, nice punch by the way Sis," he smiled at Bella, who nodded and smiled grimly in acknowledgement, "Rose suddenly had a little case of bloodlust, and that in addition to anger isn't a good combination for her, so I had to get her out of there."

Rose made a huffing sound, tossing her hair over her shoulder, disgruntled.

"Let's just get out of here," Bella said crossly.

She kept a tight grip on my hand on the ride home. I could tell she was still pissed when we arrived home; without a word to anyone, she marched toward our room, her hand in mine, and I allowed myself to be drug along behind her. When we got to our room, she shut the door and turned to face me, fire burning in her eyes.

"I didn't like that," she said quietly. "Seeing that nasty bitch talk to you, _touch_ you that way. I fucking wanted to kill her Jazz. If I was a vampire, I'd have probably ripped her fucking throat out back there. I get it now, okay? We can't put ourselves in position where the other's gonna be jealous, because someone's gonna wind up hurt." She pulled off her boots and then began stalking toward me, peeling off her sweater. "Strip," she ordered. Fuck, that was really kinda hot. I was also a little amused though, which she seemed to pick up on as I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know why the fuck you're looking at me like that Whitlock, or why you haven't so much as removed a boot, but you'd better remedy both of these issues right the fuck now. Now, I said fucking STRIP." Her eyes narrowed and her voice dripped with menace.

And just like that, I had a missile in my jeans. Bella was going Major on _me._ Hell. Yes.

I smirked at her as I removed my Docs, and then began to unbutton my shirt. She stripped down to her underwear, a lacy black bra and matching boyshorts. This combined with the anger radiating from her made her absolutely sexier than I'd ever seen her.

I removed the rest of my clothes and stepped close to her, dipping to catch her lips with mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck and lifted herself up, wrapping her legs around my waist. I carried her to the bed, lay her down, and moved to hover over her. "Nope," she stopped me. I froze. She pushed at my chest and, getting the hint, I rolled onto my back. She straddled me and began nipping and kissing all over my neck and chest. Her hot little tongue flicked repeatedly over one nipple as she slid one hand down my stomach toward my rock hard member. She took it in her hot little hand and looked at it lovingly. _"Mine," _she purred, and I grew even harder.

"All yours darlin', do with me as you will," I said as I ran my fingers through her hair. She slid down my body, kissing and dragging her searing tongue along the way, until she reached my straining cock and enveloped it with her lips, sliding her mouth down as far as it could go. I threw my head back with a hiss. "God Bella, that feels amazing."

She bobbed her head up and down eagerly for several minutes, swirling her hot moist tongue around and occasionally grazing her teeth the way she knows I like it, and then pulled back suddenly, her lips making a popping sound as she came up. "I need your mouth on me," she commanded.

I reached under her armpits and pulled her up to me, then cupping my hands under her ass I lifted her up and placed her so she was straddling my mouth. She gasped as I thrust my tongue into her, and began to gyrate as switched back and forth from thrusting my tongue in her to licking and sucking her bundle of nerves.

"Ah, fuck Whitlock, that's it. Oh you feel so fucking good," she moaned. I slid two fingers into her and began pumping them as I continued my ministrations with my tongue.

"Come for me Darlin'," I growled into her, my voice heavy with my lust. And she did. Hard.

I flipped her over before she had a chance to recover, and then slid into her warmth in one thrust, which immediately sent her over the edge again. She screamed my name as I pumped into her with quick strokes, my end imminent. I pulled her legs up over my shoulders which sent me even deeper into her, and I felt her insides quiver. Suddenly as she began to clench yet again, I felt her hot little fist reach down and grasp my boys, and then she gave a little tug. I came almost violently at the sensation, roaring her name and putting real effort into not thrusting too hard as I emptied into her.

I collapsed to my side, rolling onto my back and pulling her with me so that we were still joined. "Isabella Marie Whitlock, where the fuck did you learn _that_ little maneuver?" I asked her, as I stroked her hair away from her sweaty face, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She smirked at me. "I've been saving that one for you," she answered, artfully dodging my question. I really didn't care where she learned it; I just wanted her to do it again. Soon.

"We should get you jealous more often," I said with a chuckle. She scowled.

"Ugh, those bitches…" she muttered, growing irritated again. I decided to distract her by bucking my hips a little. As I was still inside her, and not exactly soft, it worked. "Fuck those bitches," she said, as she covered my mouth with her own and began to move her hips on top of mine. My thoughts exactly.


	30. Chapter 30

Shorter chap and a little on the fluffy side, but I think you'll get a kick out of this one.

My beta-wifey Mynxi is the chiz.

SM's characters, but we all know this by now, right?

**Bella**  
Strangely enough, those two whores in our Modern History class relocated themselves to the front of the class after our little altercation. Tessa sported one hell of a fat lip for about two weeks. Neither of those bitches would make eye contact with me, which was a little disappointing. I relished the idea of beating at least one of those asses.

The rest of the semester passed without too much incident. Peter pretty much sealed his fate for failing Human Psych when, for the Abnormal Behaviors paper we were assigned, he submitted a paper titled as follows: "Why I Wish I Could Lick My Own Anus: Human Male Jealousy Toward Unfair Privileges Awarded to the Animal Kingdom." I was at least able to convince him to replace "Asshole" with the more appropriate terminology. He proudly posted the graded copy on the corkboard at home which noted "_D- __highly__ inappropriate Mr. Whitlock"_. Apparently since it was five pages of single-spaced original work that technically followed the format of the assignment, the professor couldn't legitimately give him an F for the paper, but it also meant Peter was blatantly ignored by the professor for the rest of the semester. Emmett, on the other hand, was handled with kid gloves by said professor, going as far as being granted a due date extension he didn't need when he informed the professor he'd been feeling a little "twitchy" lately.

Rose and Jazz tutored me through Linear Math, in which I managed a solid B, and I also really enjoyed the Ancient Mediterranean Arts class with my bitchpires. It always made for a pleasant way to end my week, followed by my library study time.

Today was the last day of classes for the winter semester and, as the weather was somewhat pleasant, I decided to sit outside of the library, setting up camp on a section of the wide stairs of O'Neill Plaza. I turned on my iPod to play some Nirvana Unplugged; I'd been working on learning a few of those songs on the guitar having recently mastered a rough rendition of "All Apologies". The night Jasper decided to sing along as I played resulted in not only my undying allegiance to the band, but also my straddling his lap when the last chord was barely over, making sure he knew I was _his_ biggest fan.

I zoned out while listening, more or less playing air guitar as I listened by fingering imaginary chords, when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, as though I was being watched. I glanced around the plaza to see if my intuition was correct, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. I jumped as one of my earbuds was suddenly plucked from my ear. "Lookin' for someone, darlin'? Jasper's cold breath was suddenly in my ear, the shock causing me to flinch.

"Jesus Jasper! You scared the shit out of me!" I slapped at his granite arm as he sat down beside me.

"Nirvana huh? Gonna learn some more songs?" he asked me with a slightly wicked grin, which I returned with a nod and wicked grin of my own.

"Guess I'll have to brush up on those lyrics," he said wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Whitlock, I'll buy you a book of them," I replied as I leaned over to kiss him. "You're here early."

"Yeah I got finished early. Rose and Emmett have already left for the weekend; we may as well head out too." We were having a "solo couples" weekend, with each of us taking off in separate destinations. More accurately Rose and Emmett and Jazz and I were taking off; Peter and Char chose to stay behind and take advantage of having the house to themselves. Jasper, of course, already threatened Peter's most prized protruding body part if he detects even a whiff of their 'sexy time' in our room.

Rose and Emmett were headed to Beartown State Park for what Emmett deemed as their "All You Can Eat" buffet, while Jasper and I were bound for Jacksonville to see Renee. I'd decided that this was a better time for the trip than Spring Break would be, although we may still need to get creative with excuses to keep Jasper out of the sun.

We threw our bags in the back of my Jeep, where our luggage for the weekend already lied packed, and headed for the airport. I realized as we went airborne that this was the first time Jazz and I had traveled alone. Too bad it was to go visit my batshit-crazy mother. However, as this was likely the last time she and I would physically see each other, I sucked up my chagrin and resolved to make the best of this weekend.

Sensing my shift in mood, Jasper looked over at me. "You ok, darlin'?"

I nodded. He smiled understandingly and then leaned closer to me to catch my lips with his. He kissed me tenderly at first, and then deepened the kiss to something borderline inappropriate for public transportation. A not-so-subtle cough from an old codger across the aisle brought us out of our PDA.

Jasper briefly smiled at the man, who glared down his nose at us, turned back to his paper and fucking "Harrumph!"-ed, which is something I thought only happened in old British literature. Jazz turned back to me and nuzzled my cheek with his cool nose before suddenly running his icy tongue along my jaw. Ugh, _why_ did we agree to stay at my mother's house?

Once again sensing my mood, Jasper chuckled. "I'd suggest us joining the Mile High Club, darlin', but that might not bode well for our fellow passengers should my, uh, _gift_ get out of hand." No, we did not want to incite an orgy at 30,000 feet. Just how would an event like that play out on CNN?

"May be should get a hotel in Jacksonville after all," I suggested as he tugged on my earlobe with his lips.

"Your mother would probably be offended by that after we've already agreed to stay," he murmured. "I can be quiet if you can," he quietly added with a chuckle.

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, _absolutely_," he answered with a wicked grin.

I'd insisted on meeting them at their house as opposed to their picking us up; I wanted a rental car at our disposal so that there would be an 'out' if one was needed, especially in Jasper's case.

Fortunately my mother's driveway was in the shade as we pulled up to the house. The Cadillac's windows were dark, but being that my mother was bouncing giddily on the porch as we parked, Jazz had no option but to move at human speed when he got out of the car. As soon as I got out, I was pulled into my mother's strong embrace.

"Oh Bella! I've missed you so much!" she sobbed, kissing my cheek repeatedly, and then she held me at arm's length to get a good look at me. "You look fantastic! You've put a little weight on, but really sweetie you needed to, and you gained it where it was useful, you actually have bosoms now…"

"MOM!" I interrupted her because seriously? I didn't need a critique of my tits from my mother.

"Sorry honey. But I'm sure that hubby of yours appreciates them," (OH MY GOD my head was going to explode!) "Speaking of, where is my new son-in-law?"

Jasper closed the trunk of the Cadillac and walked over to us with our bags in hand. "Ma'am," he greeted with a nod and his lazy grin. He set the bags down, took my mother's hand in a handshake, and then leaned in to give her a quick peck on her cheek. "Jasper Whitlock; I'm very pleased to finally make your acquaintance," he drawled. I could almost visualize the puddle of goo my mother had internally become.

"Oh my," she stammered, actually blushing – something Renee does not easily do. She actually seemed at a loss for words as well, another rarity for Renee. Jasper chuckled as he released her hand and bent to retrieve the bags. Meanwhile my mother finally regained use of her brain.

"Well aren't you just the epitome of Southern charm?" she exclaimed, placing her palm against her still-flaming cheek. I bet that Jasper was having a field day with her emotions right about now.

"Well thank you ma'am. And I must say, I now see where Bella got her good looks from."

My mother giggled and looped her arm through the crook of Jasper's arm to lead him inside. "Oh you're sweet. My goodness, your arms are rock hard! You must be in excellent shape…" she prattled on as they went through the front door. I followed wordlessly, having been demoted to chop liver status apparently.

**Jasper**  
I wasn't sure whether to be amused or uncomfortable by my new mother-in-law's reception of me. At first sight of me her heart rate nearly tripled and her shock was soon joined by a hint of lust when I took her hand and kissed her cheek. Interestingly enough, there wasn't even a glimmer of fear at my close proximity, which would be the typical human response, proving that Bella had more in common wither her mother besides looks and that blush. This was emphasized even further when she slipped her arm through mine and pulled herself tight against my side to lead me inside, jabbering the whole way.

"I'm so glad you two came to see us; we're going to have so much fun. Phil went to go pick up dinner, I hope you like Chinese…"

"Uh, you know ma'am," I began but she cut me off.

"None of that 'ma'am' business; call me Renee!"

"Of course, Renee; as I was sayin' I'm probably gonna pass on dinner if you don't mind. The food on the airplane was pretty terrible, and it left me feeling a little green."

"Aw, I thought you seemed a little pale," Renee said. Bella snorted. "Well there will be plenty if you change your mind. Here's your room."

She led us into a room with walls the color of wheat and featured an oak-frame queen-sized bed with a slotted headboard, and covered with a fluffy white comforter and matching pillows.

"It's on the opposite end of the house from our room so you two will have a little, er, privacy," Renee said with a wink at Bella.

"_Jesus Mom,"_ Bella groaned while rolling her eyes.

"What?" Renee blinked innocently. "It wasn't that long ago that Phil and I were newlyweds. I remember what it was like."

"So do I," muttered Bella a little disgustedly.

"Oh you!" Renee swatted at Bella and laughed, walking toward the bedroom door. "I'll leave you two to freshen up. There's an en suite bathroom through that door. Phil should be back in about fifteen minutes." She hugged Bella one more time, smiled at me and then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Bella flopped backward on to the bed with her arms criss-crossed over her face and groaned. I went over to the bed and covered her body with mine, propping myself up on my elbows. "Darlin', don't cover that pretty face."

I used one hand to gently pry one of her arms away from her face, exposing her nose which I quickly placed a kiss upon. "You can do this. She really loves you, you know."

"I know," she grumbled.

"You love her too." As tough as their recent past had been, Bella still held a very deep love for her mother.

"Of course I love her! She's my mom. She's just a bit… _much_ sometimes. I just sort of forgot _how much_ she could be."

"Her emotions are very strong, from what I've felt from her so far. It's almost dizzying," I chuckled.

Bella finally moved her other arm from her face. "I love you Jazz. Thanks for coming with me for this."

"I wouldn't have missed it. Besides, I've been dying to see your baby pictures."

"Oh fuck, I was such an ugly duckling, all bruised up and gawky; you don't need to see that shit." She shoved at me.

"Oh, but I do, and I'm sure all I have to do is ask your momma pretty please, and she will give me whatever I want." I grinned at her.

"Don't be working your smooth Southern vampire dazzle voo-doo on my mom for your ill gain, Jasper Whitlock! Don't think I didn't fucking notice she's already smitten with your sparkly ass." She glared at me.

"Yeaaah, she loves me," I said airily. Bella whacked me with a pillow.

Dinner was a very casual affair. I sat at the table and joined conversation as the others ate the noxious food. Phil seemed like a nice enough guy; he obviously adored his flighty wife. While he was younger than she physically, they complimented each other emotionally very well. He was also quite fond of Bella, in a familial way, if not a little awkward, although I wondered how much of that had to do with the falling-out she and Renee had when Bella was pregnant with Tyler.

When the meal was finished, I followed Phil to the family room to watch the basketball game, leaving Bella and Renee alone to talk privately while they cleaned up and put the leftovers away. There was definitely a strain between the two of them; I hoped Bella was going to be able to make peace with her mother during this visit. The tension was growing thicker by the second in the kitchen, so I had a feeling a long overdue conversation was about to take place.

**Bella**  
Jasper followed Phil to watch the game once dinner was over, gently squeezing my shoulder in reassurance as he left the room. We worked quietly for a moment, though the tension was noticeably rising.

"Well you have certainly found quite the prize with that handsome husband of yours," Renee said breaking the silence.

"He's the best thing that ever happened to me," I said matter-of-factly, because it was true.

Renee opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, shook her head, and then started again. "You said he's Edward's brother? Have you seen him since… well since Forks? Is he okay with the two of you being together?"

_Actually no, Mom; I had to break a beer bottle on his face followed by Jasper ripping him to shreds before he was "okay" with it._ "I've seen him a couple times; he came with the rest of the family for Christmas. And not that it'd fucking matter if he didn't, but he's accepted Jasper and me. He's moved on." Technically. Renee didn't need all the gory details.

She nodded. Edward wasn't exactly her favorite person either after she saw what his leaving had done to me. Charlie had called her, desperate for help when I was all catatonic and when they told me she was taking me home with her to Jacksonville, I freaked the fuck out on the both of them. Neither had ever seen me like that, hell I'd never seen myself like that, but then again, I wasn't myself back then anyway.

After a few more beats Renee asked, "Do you ever hear anything from Jake?"

_Other than he wants to kill me on sight if I ever step foot in Forks again? No, not really._ "No," I sighed. "He's moved on too. I heard from Leah he got married." _So please leave it alone at that._

"Probably for the better then," she hedged. She seemed like she was about to say something again, and then stopped with a slight shake of her head.

"Just spit it out Renee! What's on your mind?" I was really trying hard to not get pissed.

"Nothing Bella! I'm just making conversation…"

"Tell ya what. Let's cut the bullshit and address the fucking elephant in the room and get it over with. You're still upset about my giving up my son, right? How long is this going to go on? Let it go already!"

"That's just it Bella. It is time to let it go. What I'm upset about is how I treated you during that time. At first, all I could think of was how could you do that? I couldn't have fathomed doing that when I'd found myself in the very same position at the very same age."

Oh that judgmental bitch! I opened my mouth to tell her where she could stow her self-righteous backhanded bullshit when I was hit hard with a sudden wave of calm. _Son of a bitch._ Jazz better know something I don't or he and I would be having a conversation later about staying the fuck out of my emotions unless I ask for it.

"I got to thinking about it Bella. While I don't ever regret having you, I also have to admit that I probably didn't provide you with the best childhood; taking you from your father the way I did and Lord knows you were more of the adult than I was, most times. I should've realized that the decision you made was not made without a lot of careful consideration on your part. I was being selfish and only thinking of myself when I lashed out at you about it. You made the ultimate sacrifice for your son, and I just hope you can forgive me for not being more supportive of you when you needed it the most."

Tears were streaming down her face as well as my own. I crossed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her. "Of course I forgive you. You don't know how much that meant to me Mom. Thank you."

We held each other for a while, letting the tears silently run their course, until my mother gently pulled away with a sniff. "So, any babies in the near future for you and Jasper?"

"Jesus Renee!" Only my mother.

"I know, I know. You two haven't been married that long. It would just be nice to know I have that to look forward to." She smiled at me all puffy-eyed and blotchy-face, and fuck! Now what do I do? I decided to give diplomacy a shot.

"I can't promise you anything right now. We're just enjoying being married and taking it day by day."

"Of course dear. I forget you're only 23. You kids have plenty of time to start a family."

"And you are too young to worry about becoming a grandma," I said, playfully giving her a nudge. "Hey, do you have stuff to make daiquiris?"

Successfully distracted, my mother squealed. "Ooh, I think I might! That sounds really good; do you know how to make them?"

"Former bartender, remember? Where's your blender?"

I whipped us up a rather strong pitcher of daiquiris and then my mother and I proceeded to get trashed together; a first for us and a memory I would always treasure. We laughed so hard as she told stories about my childhood and school days, and then of course she had to haul out the photo albums so Jazz could see me in all my bruised and awkward glory.

"Jazz, please don't look at those, they're awful!" I groaned while trying to cover an especially hideous picture with my hand.

"You were beautiful even then darlin', how else would you be able to take my breath away now?" He leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. "Love you," he whispered.

"Thank you," I whispered back, too quiet for Renee to hear. He knew why I was thanking him; he winked in reply.

"Aww!" Renee cooed. "You two are so stinkin' cute. Phil, aren't they adorable?"

Phil smiled indulgently at Renee, "Absolutely," then looked over at Jazz and I. "I'm really glad you guys took the time to come see us."

Renee started yawning not long after. "Hoo, too much rum for me! I'm off to bed. Phil are you coming?" The look my mother gave Phil said she wasn't quite ready for sleep yet. He nodded, a randy grin appearing on his lips. _Ewwww._

"I think we're going to call it a night ourselves; what do you say Bells?" Jasper stretched and feigned a yawn, flashing me a quick rakish grin so quickly I would've missed it if I'd blinked. It looked an awful lot like Phil's grin. Looks like the box springs in the Dwyer home would be getting a workout tonight.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Um, good night!" I kissed my mom on the cheek and we excused ourselves down the hall.

As soon as our door was shut, Jasper scooped me up and placed me on the bed, kissing me deeply. When I pulled away to gasp for air, he moved down my neck, planting open-mouthed kisses along the way. "Still up to that challenge, darlin'?" he asked quietly as his hand began to tug at my sweat shorts.

"Abso-fucking-lutely. Bring it on," I softly moaned. And he most certainly did. Suffice it to say, Jasper did not play fair.

The knowing smile from my mother the next morning confirmed I failed that particular challenge. Being Renee she also couldn't help but rub it in when, while we were out doing a little shopping later on, we had stopped for lunch.

"It's too bad Jasper didn't feel well enough to join us today," she said in a too-innocent tone. I looked at her suspiciously. "You must've really worked him over good last night," she finished with a mischievous grin.

"Mom!" Oh. My. God! Mortified doesn't even cover it.

"Oh sweetie, relax. It does your mother's heart some good to know you have a husband who not only obviously takes care of your needs, but wow, to make you moan like that? Honey you've got a keeper. A great sex life goes a long way in a happy marriage; I mean, Phil and I…"

"STOP! Do not go any further with that. Jesus, Renee, fucking TMI. I am seriously not discussing my sex life with you." I shuddered.

"I really wish you wouldn't swear like that Bella. Besides, as long as it's as good as it sounds like it is, then there is obviously nothing that needs to be discussed. Good for you, dear." She just verbally high-fived me for marrying a good lay, and fucking patted my hand for good measure. Only my mom. I love her.


	31. Chapter 31

Angst alert!

Beta-wifey Mynxi rocks my socks.

SM's characters. Well, most of them anyway.

**Bella**  
I really couldn't have asked for the visit with Renee to go any better. She and I had finally got past all the bullshit and I knew that no matter what happened with me, we left each other on a good note and with the memory of a great weekend spent together. Jasper unfortunately had to come down with a "flu-bug" to be able to beg out of the barbecue Phil had decided to do. I felt bad making him hide in the bedroom for all that time, but he'd brought along a few books and his laptop so he assured me it was fine.

We returned home to find the other two couples had enjoyed their weekend festivities as well. No odor of Peter and Char's sexy time was detected in our room, so either they stayed out as promised or they removed the evidence. I really didn't want to know either way.

Rose and Emmett had a great time on their trip and came back with big grins on their faces; yes, even Rose. Emmett bagged himself five bears and went into intricate detail about how each kill went down. He and Jasper agreed we'd have to take a "family outing" to Beartown after my change. Can't wait. Actually, I'm both dreading and anticipating wrestling bears and mountain lions and shit; the idea still kind of boggles my mind. Guess I better get used to it though.

Spring classes started and by some fluke I ended up in a class on my own, Language and Society; I also kept my Friday afternoon library study routine. It was weird being in a class without any of my 'pires but, like the library time, I found the extra bit of independence a welcome turn of events. Of course Jasper walked me to and from class, although he didn't usually catch up with me after class until I was almost to O'Neill Plaza.

About two weeks into the semester, I started catching this guy staring at me; he sat in the row behind me, a few seats over. The first time, I caught him purely by accident when I turned around to hand some chick the pen she'd dropped. He had piercing blue eyes and blonde hair with highlights as though he'd spent a lot of time at the beach. He smiled at me and I gave him a polite half-smile, not wanting to seem rude but not wanting to encourage him either. Unfortunately, he was encouraged. After about the third time catching him, having gotten that 'being watched' feeling, I decided to just ignore his ass. I could feel him staring, but wouldn't give him the satisfaction of a response from me.

A few days after I'd put him on Ignore, I noticed him following me as I headed to the Plaza to meet up with Jasper. Mistakenly catching his eye, he tipped his head up in an indication he wanted to talk to me, what I call the 'Sup maneuver. I fucking hate that. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him, and continued on my way. "Hey!" I heard him call, but I ignored him. When I caught up to Jasper though, he kept walking past us, not looking in my direction.

Jasper must have sensed my irritation and asked me what was wrong. I shook my head. "Nothing; just thinking about some stuff from class." I briefly considered telling him about the guy, but decided I didn't want the blood of an innocent, if perhaps a little overzealous, admirer on my hands. If he turned out to be some kind of psycho, well then I'd let my husband mop the floor with him.

The next day in class he sat right behind me. "Why wouldn't you talk to me yesterday?" he asked. His lips were a little too fucking close to my ear. Strike two: disrespecting my personal space.

"And just why the fuck would I?" I replied without turning around.

"Oh, now that's not very nice," he purred. "I'm just trying to be friendly here. The name is James, by the way." His lips were still too fucking close to my ear.

"Good for you," I said as I leaned forward to remove my ear from his mouth vapors, hoping he would fucking take a hint. Silly me, it's never that easy. He suddenly crawled over the seat next to me and plopped into it.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" he asked, oblivious to my distaste.

"Nope." I looked away. Where the fuck is the professor anyway? Chatty Chuck here was really starting to piss me off.

"That's ok. I already know who you are anyway. Bellll-uhhhh" he dragged out my name in a way that was kind of creepy, actually. I kept my cool.

"So?" So he asked around; big deal. Right?

He chuckled. "Formerly of Sassafrass Junction fame? You were the hottest bitch in the place." I couldn't help but look at him now. How the fuck did he know _that_? He smirked as I gaped at him, looking me up and down. "I see you've traded in your leather pants and sexy little vest for the typical college uniform of jeans and tees. I gotta say, I miss the leather."

"Are you from Phoenix?" I asked. Boston's huge, but so is Phoenix. The coincidence was a little much.

"I went on vacation there last year with a couple of buddies right before school started. My buddy's from there. We hit your bar a couple times while we were there. You and your hot blonde girlfriend really stole the show." Aw, I miss Lara.

"Huh. Well, great. Glad you had a good time. Obviously I've moved on from the Junction, so perhaps you should too."

He continued to smirk at me. "Now what fun would that be?"

Just then the professor hurried in mumbling an apology and started his lecture. I tried to focus on what he was saying, but I was more than a little wigged out by this James character. I mean, sure, I'd had regulars at the Junction who could be a little obsessive, but this guy had only been there like, what, twice? Just a little weird if you ask me. I could feel his eyes on me occasionally as class went on, but I refused to look in his direction again. I wouldn't encourage this any further. I was also seriously considering telling Jasper now, but wasn't sure if it was warranted. When the professor dismissed the class, I bolted, not wanting to allow James any further opportunity to drag me with him on his walk down memory lane.

Amazingly, Peter was waiting for me outside of the door to the lecture hall. "Thought you could use an escort today, Stella," he said with his trademark grin. I love that Yoda-wannabe motherfucker.

I smiled at him. "Nice to know your Jedi powers are in working order today, Petey."

James abruptly appeared in the doorway. "Why the rush?" he asked me, and then he noticed Peter, who suddenly looked like someone not to fuck with. Hot. James pursed his lips and gave Peter the 'Sup maneuver before turning back to me. "See you around, Belllla," he said with a wink. I glared at him.

"That guy's lucky I came here for you today instead of the Major. Somethin' ain't right with that dude."

"No shit, Petey. He remembers me from the Junction and was being kinda creepy about it."

"Well fortunately for you, Stella, I've decided to drop my class for this hour. I can stick close by if you want." He threw his arm around me in brotherly half-hug. He didn't even try to grab my ass, so he must really be concerned.

"Sure Petey, if you want to." I knew he was going to whether or not I agreed to it.

We met up with Jasper in the Plaza; he eyed Peter's arm around me with curiosity, his eyes narrowing slightly. Peter removed his arm, saying something too quick and too quiet for me to hear. I fucking hate that shit too.

"What Petey is trying to be all covert about is there's a guy in my last class that's being a little weird. Peter's agreed to babysit." End of discussion… please? I watched Jasper's face darken into a scowl. Ugh. This is what I was trying to avoid.

"Who is he?" Jasper asked calmly.

"Just a guy, Jazz. Peter and I got it covered; no need for you to get all Cavepire about it, alright?" You would think I'd learn when not to be flippant with Jasper.

"Who is he?" Still calm. A little too calm.

"Jazz…"

"Isabella." Oh, full name. Never a good sign.

"His name is James."

"James what?"

"I don't fucking know! James Pain-In-My-Ass; why the fuck would I know his last name?"

"Anything else I need to know?" _What is this, fucking recon or something?_ I really didn't want to tell him about the guy knowing me from the Junction, but I knew that keeping it a secret was a far worse option. Jasper hated secrets. "Isabella Whitlock, what the _fuck_ are you hiding from me?" Ah, right the empathy thing. That shit was really inconvenient sometimes.

I sighed, deciding to come clean. "He said he remembered me from the Junction. He'd been there a couple times last summer while visiting Phoenix with his buddy."

Jasper's lips thinned as he took in this information. "Anything else?"

"He was flirty in a slightly creepy way, but that's somewhat typical for someone who's familiar with what I used to do."

He ran a hand through his blonde waves. "Let's go home. We'll talk about this later."

Fine by me.

**Jasper**  
I saw Bella walk up with Peter's arm around her. He was giving off a protective feeling, which set off an alarm within me immediately. Why was he protecting Bella? He moved his arm and quickly said "I'll tell you later." Bella caught that he'd said something and became annoyed, proceeding to tell me about this James character who apparently didn't have much longer to live. She attempted nonchalance, but I knew that if Peter's reaction was to protect her, something wasn't right.

We got home and Bella excused herself to grab a shower. It was just as well because it was time for Peter to let me know just what the fuck was going on. He and I went to the family room where Emmett was plopped down playing a video game. "So who's this James fucker?" I asked. Emmett perked up at my tone and set down his controller to listen.

Peter shook his head and shrugged. "Got a feelin' about him is all. Might be somethin', might be nothin' but I think it warrants monitoring."

"Some guy giving Bells trouble?" Emmett growled, flexing his huge arms. My brother would protect his 'baby sis' to the ends of the earth, a fact for which I was extremely grateful.

"He creeped her out a little in class. Kind of stalkerish if you ask me," Peter said.

"Let's go deal with him then," said Emmett standing up. Even though I agreed with his sentiment, I threw a little calm his way anyway.

"We may not need to do anything about this guy yet. But maybe Bella should drop the class, because I really don't like this situation at all," I said.

Peter shook his head again. "You will piss her right off if you suggest that. You gotta let her have her freedom. Your brother pulled that caged-bird bullshit; don't you follow suit." I growled at his implying my being like Edward, but he continued, holding up his hand. "I'll stay near when she's in that class and keep an eye and an ear on the situation."

I nodded and then suddenly felt a nearly crippling wave of emotional pain coming from our bedroom. Bella. I flew to the bedroom to see what was wrong. She was seated at her desk, tears streaming down her face. Was it Tyler? She hadn't reacted like this in months.

"Sweetheart? What's wrong?" I crouched beside her and brushed her hair away from her face.

"There's been an accident. He could die." She began to sob.

I turned her laptop so I could read the message. There was no pretense this time; Lexi had nothing to hide.

_Bella,  
Jake and Ty were in a car accident last night. Jake is ok but Ty has internal injuries and head trauma. He's in a coma. I'm so scared he's not going to make it. Please call me as soon as you get this.  
Lexi_

It ended with her cell phone number.

"What am I going to do, Jazz? I want to see him. I want to _do_ something. _Damn it_! Why Tyler?" she wailed in anger and frustration.

My mind worked quickly. "Maybe Carlisle can help?"

She looked at me with wide teary eyes. "You think so? Do you think the pack will let him?"

"One of their own is in grave danger; they just might and there's one way to find out." I plucked her cell phone from her purse and handed it to her.

Bella dialed the number with trembling fingers. A quiet, raspy voice answered the phone. _"Hello?"_

"It's Bella, Lexi," Bella sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. "My God, Lexi what happened?"

"_Jake took Ty to a bonfire they were having at the beach last night. On the way home some asshole who was trying to text while driving crossed the center lane. Jake swerved to miss him but hit a huge pothole in the road. He lost control of the car and drove off the road, hit a tree. Ty was in his car seat but his side of the car suffered the brunt of the impact. His poor little body-"_ Lexi choked and a sob broke out. _"He's in bad shape Bella. He has swelling in his brain and internal bleeding. The doctors don't know if he'll pull through."_

Bella's face crumpled as Lexi described Tyler's injuries. "Lexi, I want to have Carlisle go there to see him. Can I do that? Please?"

"_Carlisle? He's your, er, father-in-law right? The doctor? Oh Bella, do you think he can help?"_

"He has over three hundred years of medical experience Lexi, I don't think there's a better physician available on the planet. Can he come?"

"_Send him. No, __**bring**__ him. Enough of this treaty-feud-whatever bullshit. You have every right to see Ty, especially if he-"_ Lexi choked up again.

"Don't you fucking say it Lexi. I won't let it happen. We're on our way. Can you… prepare Jake?"

"_I will handle Jake. Just get here. Please hurry Bella. He's such a special little boy. I can't lose him."_

"Neither can I, Lexi. I'll talk to you soon." Bella hung up, looked at me with a sigh, and exhaled with a shudder. "Will you call Carlisle?"

**Bella**  
Within three hours Jazz and I, plus Rose and Em, were on a flight bound for Seattle. Carlisle and Esme's flight would land there about forty-five minutes after ours and we would then ride together to the hospital. Peter and Char chose to stay behind; being human blood drinkers, they would likely not be well received.

Tyler had been airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, so issues over our entering Forks or LaPush would not be a concern. However, Carlisle called Sam anyway as a precaution, to alert him of our pending arrival. Lexi had apparently already spoken to Sam before she even spoke to Jake about it, to get Sam on board with the idea first. I wasn't quite sure how Jake felt about that scenario, but I really didn't fucking care. This wasn't about me or Jake, this was about Tyler and if Jake tried to pull any of his petty fucking bullshit I would personally give Jasper full support to ripping him a new asshole.

Jasper held my hand as the flight made its way west; the longest six-and-a-half hours of my life. He kept a gentle wave of love and calm coming to me, which I this time accepted gratefully. I could tell he was worried too; about Tyler and about how Jake would react to our arrival. It would be helpful this encounter would be in a public place, but I also knew that if Jake acts derogatory or threatening toward me, it will take an awful lot of restraint for Jazz not to unleash the Major on him.

Finally we arrived at SeaTac, where we immediately headed to the terminal to await Carlisle and Esme's arrival. I paced as the minutes crawled by, until Jasper hit me with such a heavy wave of calm, bordering lethargy, that I had no choice but to sit. I glared at him.

"Sorry darlin', but you were killin' me here.'

As their flight pulled up to the terminal, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Lexi to let her know we were on our way. As soon as Carlisle and Esme cleared the doorway, I threw myself in Carlisle's arms. "Thank you so much for coming Carlisle. Please save my little boy," I sobbed.

He stroked my hair. "Shh, sweetheart. I am going to do everything within my power to do just that. Now, let's get to the hospital."

We quickly rented a Navigator and sped off to Harborview. Sam, Jake and Lexi were waiting for us outside of the ICU wing. Lexi ran to me and threw her arms around me, paying no mind to the vampires flanking my sides. "Oh Bella! Thank God you guys are here!" she cried, a fresh wave of tears threatening to fall from her already swollen eyes.

"Lexi!" Jake barked her in name in warning, tensing immediately at his imprint's proximity to his natural enemy. He trembled and I felt the calm Jasper threw out as Sam placed a restraining hand on Jake's shoulder.

"Enough Jake. They're here to help."

Carlisle stepped forward cautiously, reaching his hand forward to shake hands with Sam. Sam met him partway. "Thank you for coming, Dr. Cullen. Please come with us."

Carlisle followed him to the door to the ICU wing. Lexi pulled away from me with a sad smile and went back to take Jake's hand. Jake stood his ground for a moment, glaring at me and Jasper, who had threaded his fingers with mine and met Jake's stare. His expression was calm but slightly guarded.

Jake had physically matured a bit more since I'd last seen him. Due to his wolf genes, he was sort of a man-child at that time. His eyes, etched with the beginnings of crow's feet, had lost their youthful sparkle and now appeared almost sunken in his face, likely from worry. They were now focused on us in hate and distaste. There was a nearly healed cut above his eyebrow that had probably been a gash the day before.

Lexi touched his arm to get his attention. "Please Jake. For Tyler." His face relaxed some, but a scowl remained.

"Come on then," he growled. He took over holding the door from Sam; we all filed through and headed down the hall, with Jake and Lexi bringing up the rear behind Rose and Emmett. Rose curled her nose slightly. Jake saw this and muttered "You don't smell much better, Leech."

Rose and Emmett both growled low in response as Lexi hissed, "_Damn it Jake! Enough!"_

Sam snapped his head around and glared at Jake. Jake's scowl deepened as he looked away. Sam led us to a seating area not far from the nurse's station. "Dr. Cullen, perhaps you, me, and Lexi can have a word with Tyler's attending physician?"

Carlisle nodded. "Of course."

Lexi led Carlisle to the nurse's station and asked her to page the doctor. Sam paused to speak to Jake. "Can I trust you to remain in control of yourself for ten minutes if I leave you here, or do you want to come with us?"

"He's _my_ son," Jake said, pointedly sneering at me. I flinched involuntarily. "I'm coming with you guys. The stench of leech is too concentrated in here anyway."

Jasper hissed under his breath as Jake stalked off with Sam.

"Fucking asshole," muttered Rose. Her eyes were narrowed into slits and she looked more pissed than I'd ever seen her. If we weren't in a hospital, I was pretty sure a brawl could've started just now. "How _dare_ he act that way? We're here to try to save _his son_'s life. Sorry Bella," she added with a glance at me, realizing how her words could be interpreted. I shook my head at Rose, dismissing it, because I was pissed myself. Emmett took Rose's hand. "Maybe we should take a walk, babe. They're going to be a bit anyway. Do you two mind?" Emmett looked at me.

"Go ahead. I'll text you when we hear something," I told him quietly. They walked back out the way we'd come in.

I sat down next to Esme, taking her hand almost absentmindedly. Jasper remained standing, but I left him alone to do so. I could tell he was close to losing his cool, so I left him to collect his thoughts and gather himself while I sought solace from my surrogate mom.

She must have picked up on my need, as she placed her other cold, smooth marble hand on top of my warm, sweaty one, and lightly patted it reassuringly. As a mother who once lost her child, she understood best what I was feeling right now. "Carlisle's going to do everything he can to help him, dear," she said. "We'll make sure that Tyler's every need is taken care of."

"Thanks Esme," I said and kissed her on her cheek. "I'm sorry Jake's such an asshole. You guys don't deserve that."

"Carlisle can be quite the diplomat when needed. I'm not worried about Jake," she said with a small smile. I noticed she didn't correct my language in calling him an asshole.

A few more minutes passed and Jasper finally sat down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders to draw me close, but he remained silent. The love and assurance he pushed toward me were words enough.

Finally, Sam, Jake, and Lexi returned. "Dr. Cullen is conducting an examination of Tyler with Dr. Michaels," Sam explained. "Dr. Cullen thinks there may be a treatment that will help relieve the pressure in Tyler's brain, and suggested an option to try for the internal bleeding. They will probably operate within the hour."

I sighed with relief. There was hope. "Thank God." I leaned forward and covered my face with my hands as tears began to trickle down my cheeks. Jazz patted my back reassuringly as Lexi crouched down in front of me, again showing no apprehension toward the vampires on either side of me.

"I can't thank you enough Bella. I know it was probably difficult for you to come, after… everything."

"I would do anything for him Lexi; no matter what the consequence may be." It was my turn to look pointedly at Jacob, who sneered back at me.

"Consider yourself lucky," he said. That's it. Go time, motherfucker.

I sat up and looked him dead in the eye. "_Consider myself lucky?_ What the _fuck_ Jake? Lucky that Tyler, YOUR SON, is lying in a hospital bed at death's door? Lucky that I lack the self-preservation to face the fucking prick who wants me dead, on the hopes that maybe my 'leech' father-in-law might save YOUR SON's life? Fucking consider _yourself_ lucky ASSHOLE!"

He started to speak but I wasn't done yet. Lexi moved aside as I stood up to stand face to face with Jake, no more than a foot away from him. I saw Jazz stand up out of the corner of my eye and I held my palm up at him to tell him to stay put. This was my fight.

"Now you listen to me, you son-of-a-bitch. I loved you. I bore your son, OUR son. And then you dumped ME. I get it though; magic's a motherfucker and I was gonna lose that one no matter what. I sucked it up, stepped aside, and signed away my heart, leaving it in the hands of you and the second-best fucking thing that ever happened to you." I glanced quickly at Lexi. "No offense Lexi, Ty ranks first."

"I agree," she said quietly. I snapped my attention back to Jake, who'd started to speak again.

"_I'm not fucking finished!"_ I hissed. "I stepped aside and went on to live a fucked-up existence for the next three years. Do you want know what kept me from killing myself? Those emails and those pictures you'd send. They'd hurt like a knife piercing my gut every time; they'd fuck me up for days. But I couldn't kill myself knowing I wouldn't see that precious face ever again, and Ty didn't deserve to be born from someone who took the coward's way out. My son is a warrior and goddammit so am I.

"Now, you may not _approve_ of the path I am choosing for my life, but you know what? TOO FUCKING BAD! I have not interfered in your life here, until now anyway, and I have damn good reason for doing so now. If you were ever fucking stupid enough to think I would ever bring harm to Ty, either now or 'later'," I used air quotes on the 'later' so the fucker was crystal clear on exactly what I meant, "I should hope this will put that moronic notion to rest. Now I think you owe me, and my family here, a fucking apology."

After a brief moment of silence, Lexi spoke up. "She's right Jake. You need to apologize. Your treatment of her has been fucked up, and it makes me sick that I needed to go behind your back to contact one of the first people who should've been called when Ty ended up here. Bella is the reason we have Tyler and you need to give her the respect that she is long overdue."

Jake studied Lexi's face for a moment, taking in her words, before casting his eyes toward the floor. Then Sam spoke. "Apologize Jake. Bella and the rest of the Cullens have done no wrong. Your anger is undeserved." He spoke quietly but with authority. Jake raised his head to meet Sam's eyes. He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "I gotta go," he said and quickly stalked out of the room.

I plopped back down in my chair, drained after my speech but also feeling as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Lexi stood beside my chair and took my hand with a squeeze. "He needs a few minutes to absorb all that, but I have a feeling he finally got the message. I'm going to go talk to him." She walked out with Sam following closely behind. I hadn't noticed until then that Emmett and Rose had returned, and apparently they'd seen much of what had just gone down.

"Wow, Bells, remind me not to piss you off," Em said with respect and maybe even a bit of awe in his voice.

"Seriously Bella. You run with vampires and square off with hot-tempered werewolves. You're either the dumbest, or the bravest, human I have ever come across. Either way, I'm so proud to call you my sister right now," Rose said.

I smiled at her. "Thanks Rose."

Jasper, who'd respectfully remained quiet through my tirade, looked at me thoughtfully with a hint of a smile on his beautiful lips. "Darlin, I thought for sure I was _finally _gonna get the distinct pleasure of tearing that bastard to shreds, but I do believe you just took care of that. I monitored his emotions throughout that dressing-down you just gave him and you landed some solid blows. He's feeling guilty and ashamed of himself right now; that's why he ran out of here."

"Good. That asshole needed to feel guilty and ashamed. Maybe he'll pull his head out of his ass now."

They returned about an hour later, but sat together on the opposite side of the waiting area. Sam nodded at me, his face void of expression, but Lexi gave me a small encouraging smile. Jake avoided any eye contact in our direction, instead staring blankly at the wall.

Two more hours crept by until finally Carlisle entered the waiting area in his surgical scrubs. We all sat up and held our breath as he began to speak. "Tyler's in recovery right now, but you should be able to go see him shortly Lexi, Jake." He glanced at me apologetically before addressing them again. "We'll know more when he wakes up, but I have full faith he _will_ wake up. If all goes well, he should be fine to go home in a few days."

Lexi jumped up and threw her arms around Carlisle. "Thank you Dr. Cullen! Thank you so, so much!" Tears of joy streamed down her face.

Sam stood next and shook Carlisle's hand. "We appreciate this, Dr. Cullen. More than you'll ever know. Can we speak privately, when you have a moment?"

Carlisle nodded. "Let me help get Tyler situated and we can talk then. And please, you guys, call me Carlisle."

Sam nodded and then stepped back to allow Jake to step forward. He hesitated briefly, and then reached forward to grasp Carlisle's hand in a firm handshake. "I've been an asshole, Doc. You guys didn't deserve it." He glanced my way briefly before continuing. "I owe you so much for what you've done for my son, for my family."

Carlisle gave Jake a gentle smile. "You owe me nothing Jake. It's why I'm here." He led them back to see Tyler as I collapsed into Jasper's arms, crying tears of relief.

"Thank God." I sighed. After a moment I pulled away. "I need a smoke; will you come with me?"

He nodded. "'Course, darlin'." We walked until we found a door that led outside, finding a smoking area not too far away. It was raining of course. Welcome to fucking Washington.

I scowled at the sky. "I really don't miss this." He chuckled. I pulled out a cigarette, offering him one. He took it and then lit both.

"You alright?" He put his arm around me and squeezed me close, kissing the top of my head.

"I am now. Tyler's gonna be ok; that's all that really mattered. Getting to bitch out Jake was just a sweet bonus." I smiled and Jasper tilted his head to kiss me.

"I love you so much Bella. I'm so proud of you." I turned so that I was fully facing him and wrapped my arms around his neck, being careful to keep my cig out of his hair; it would not do to torch my vampire husband. I kissed him deeply, public smoking area be damned.

"I love you too, Jazz, more than you'll ever fucking know." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I realized what I said and laughed. "Right. Maybe you do know." He laughed and kissed me again, and we finished our cigarettes.

As we walked up the hospital corridor, Jake met us. "Is something wrong with Tyler?" I asked him, immediately concerned. He shook his head.

"Everything's fine. Ty's awake. I thought maybe you, uh, you'd like to go see our son."


	32. Chapter 32

May need a tissue for this chap. Just sayin'.

Mynxi's the shit.

No infringement intended, blah blah blah blah blahhhh.

**Bella**  
Once Jasper determined Jake was being sincere and meant no ill will toward me, he reluctantly left me with Jake and Lexi to go visit with Tyler. However, he not-so-subtly asked Rose and Emmett to keep an eye on me; he decided while I was doing this, he was going to join Sam and Carlisle for their discussion.

I walked into the dimly lit room, hearing the whirring and beeping of all the machines that were attached to Tyler. Tyler. I couldn't believe that small form underneath all the wires and tubes on the bed was my little boy. I paused in the doorway to compose myself, my sudden case of nerves taking me by surprise, until I heard Lexi quietly urge me to go in. "Go ahead, Bella. It's okay."

I stepped forward as Tyler's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Lexi's voice. "Mommy?" he asked in a small, hoarse voice. I froze. Lexi gently took my hand and led me to Tyler's bedside.

"Hi Pumpkin," she said to him softly. "I have a friend here who came to see you. Her name is Bella."

His eyes slid from Lexi's face to mine. "Hi Bella," he whispered, a faint smile on his face. There were bruises on his face and the top of his head was wrapped in bandages, but it didn't detract from the surreal moment of seeing my own eyes staring back at me. There was also no mistaking Jake's influence in that smile, no matter how faint. I had no words to describe the emotions within me as I beheld this small human being Jake and I had created together. Tears blurred my vision; I tried to blink them away as I spoke to my son for the first time.

"Well hello, Tyler." It was more difficult to speak around the lump in my throat than I thought it would be. "I'm very happy to meet you. I was really worried about you; I'm so glad you're going to be okay." A tear escaped my eye.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. Even as hoarse as it was, its raspy quality sounded much like the way I remembered Jake's voice sounding when we were kids.

"Oh don't worry, these are happy tears," I replied with a smile.

"You're pretty," he whispered. The lump in my throat tripled in size.

"Aw, thanks Tyler. I think you're pretty amazing yourself," I whispered. "But you probably shouldn't talk much more right now okay? Your little body's been through an awful lot today."

"Okay Bella. Thanks for coming to see me." He smiled again as his eyelids began to droop.

I kissed the tips of my index and middle fingers and touched them to his forehead. "Bye, little buddy."

I turned as Lexi pulled the blanket up to Tyler's chin to tuck him in. Jake was leaning against the far wall, watching my interaction with Tyler. I studied his face and found no sign of anger or disgust, but a closer look revealed moisture gathering in his eyes.

"Let's go talk," he said to me, his voice sounding a little rough. He pushed off from the wall and headed for the door. I glanced back at Lexi, who gave me a little smile and a nod.

I started to follow him down the hall, but paused to speak to Rose and Emmett who were conveniently stationed on a bench about ten feet from the door to Ty's room. "Guys, Jake and I are gonna go grab a cup of coffee."

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Need company Little Sis?" I heard Jake sigh.

"No Em, I think we'll be fine. No more drama, right Jake?" I glanced back at him for confirmation.

"Yeah. It's cool."

Emmett nodded reluctantly while Rose scowled. "Bella, Jazz won't like-"

I cut her off. "Rose, it's fine alright? Please, just give us some privacy."

I turned and walked away with Jake before she could say anything further. We walked in a somewhat awkward silence until we reached a little espresso counter nearby the gift shop. I ordered a double mocha while Jake got just a regular coffee. We found a bench nearby and sat down. I looked at Jake, waiting as he gathered his thoughts.

"Look Bella. You were right, okay? I do owe you an apology. I've been a real bastard to you and you didn't deserve it." He looked at his large callused hands as he spoke, and then looked up at me, his sorrowful eyes gazing into mine.

"I saw what you saw in there, when you looked at Tyler. And I see it too, all the time, every damn day. I can't _not_ think of you every time I see my son's eyes, and be reminded everyday of how much I hurt you and how, despite that, you still gave me the greatest gift you ever possibly could. He has your spirit, your generosity; there is so much of you in that little boy and I, being the selfish prick that I am, I've taken for granted that I got to keep a part of you anyway. I got to keep him, keep Lexi, and more or less have my cake and eat it too. You got fucked, not once but twice. I'm no better than that first fucking leech you were with." I narrowed my eyes slightly at the implication of his words. "Right, sorry; you're married to one now. And about that, I'm sorry for how I reacted to that. I remember all too well how fucked up you were when that le-, when _Edward _left you. I just couldn't believe that you involved yourself _again_ with that world, and with that particular family."

I took his hand. "Honestly Jacob, did you think I could ever not be part of that world? Even after Edward, if you and I had remained together or I had stuck around, I would still be involved in that world. I honestly believe that my life path was going to involve the supernatural no matter what. I may have not been born into it like you, but it sure seems to be my destiny none the less."

He snorted. "I guess you have a point there. With a son that's half-wolf, I guess you're kind of in it for life at that point. But are you sure about this whole," he lowered his voice "_vampire thing? _Is it really what you want?"

"I'm as sure as I could ever be Jake. You've seen it for yourself tonight; they're good people, whether they are vampires or not. They're compassionate, loving, and they're everything I could ever want in a family. And Jasper? Honestly Jake, he's my everything. Don't get me wrong; I loved you dearly, but I never knew love like this, and it was almost instantaneous. I was drawn to him, belonged to him, from nearly the first night."

"Sounds familiar," he muttered a little shamefully.

"Pretty much. From what I understand, vampire 'mating' is much like imprinting. I couldn't exist without him, nor could he without me. So yeah, it's my intention to spend eternity with him. I won't ask for your blessing, I certainly don't need it, but I'd appreciate your support. And if it means that I need to physically stay away from Tyler, I can abide by that. It meant a lot to me to get to see him tonight and I'm grateful you and Lexi allowed me that opportunity. But I'd like to be able to keep open contact with you guys again; through Lexi or however."

He was quiet for a moment, looking at his hands again before back to me before speaking. "Do you know why Sam wanted to talk to Carlisle?" I shook my head, but I had a pretty solid hunch what it was regarding. "Sam's going to make an allowance in the treaty. Your, uh, _husband_ will face no repercussions if he changes you by, uh, 'natural' methods, as long as you, for lack of a better word, _survive_ that method to complete your change. If he drains you though, it's on like Donkey Kong."

I flung my arms around Jake. "Oh my God, Jake! Do you really mean it?" I pulled back to see whether he was fucking with me or if this was for real.

He nodded, sparing me a small smile. "You guys saved Tyler. It's the least that we, that _I_, could do. You'll have to stay out of Forks and LaPush until you have control over your thirst, but then maybe we'll see about arranging some visits with Ty. In the meantime, yeah, we'll keep in touch."

I hugged him again even tighter. "Thank you Jake," I choked. I let the tears run freely, tired of holding them back, because between my visit with Tyler, Jake's apology, and the fact that Jasper can now change me the way he was made to, my emotional dam had finally burst.

Jake wrapped his arms around me and stroked my back, letting me cry it out. For a moment, it was as though we'd traveled back in time five years and I was being comforted in the toasty arms of my best friend.

Suddenly, Jake stiffened and I pulled away to see him staring solemnly over my head. I turned my head to find Jasper standing about twenty feet away, his expression one of calm concern. I wiped my eyes and stood. "Hi Jazz. Jake was just, uh-"

"We were discussing the new revision to the treaty," Jake said has he stood, "as well as my apology for my treatment of Bella, and my behavior toward you all. I am grateful for what Carlisle has done for Tyler."

Jasper approached Jake and extended his hand in a handshake, which Jake accepted. "I just finished speaking with Sam and Carlisle. Your concession is very much appreciated."

Jake nodded. "Sure, sure. Carlisle saved my, I mean _our_, boy," he said while flashing a smile at me. "It's the only way we could really repay you guys, and it still doesn't cover it. But know this," his expression grew serious. "You fucking drain her, and we're coming after you."

"_Jake!" _I admonished. Jasper did not take threats well.

Jasper smirked and took my hand, gently pulling me to stand close to his side. He wrapped one arm possessively around my waist and kissed the top of my head. "Fair enough," he drawled at Jake. "But know this in return: these tears?" He touched one that lingered on my cheek, and then held up his fingertip so Jake could see the moisture. "I realize these are happy tears, and that's a good thing. They better be the only kind you ever cause her to cry again, or _I_ am coming after_ you._"

The vampire and the werewolf eyed each other in silence for a long moment. I decided to intervene before I ended up getting peed on. "Well alrighty then! It's so great to have this all behind us, isn't it? How about we go find the others?"

I then looped my arms through theirs and with a little tug I led them down the corridor back to ICU, looking much like a fucked up Dorothy leading the Copper Man and the World's Sexiest Scarecrow. Maybe we could get back to Kansas after all.

**Jasper**  
Carlisle and I spent about thirty minutes talking with Sam, who informed us that the Quileute would be granting us an exception in our treaty, as their thanks to us for saving Tyler's life. They were now agreeable to my biting Bella to initiate her change, however should I lose control and end her life, the consequence would be severe.

I internally scoffed at this, but as this was to be taken as a gracious gesture on their part, I accepted their terms with the expected gratitude. I informed them that her change would likely take place this summer; I wasn't sure whether Bella intended to attend classes for the summer semester. I'd rather she didn't, since it would be more difficult for me or any of the others to accompany her on campus. Now that this James person had surfaced with his bizarre behavior, I'd prefer she didn't go unattended.

Sam asked that we call to let them know when her change has taken place, and to please remember to take the proper precautions to preserve human life. _Well no shit, Sherlock_. We all shook hands and then I walked with them back toward Tyler's room. Carlisle was going to peek in on him one more time before changing out of his borrowed scrubs and heading to the hotel with Esme. He was going to stay in Seattle for the night and, if Tyler had no complications, they were flying back to Connecticut in the morning.

I poked my head in Tyler's room as Sam and Carlisle walked in, and saw that only Lexi was in there, watching Tyler as he slept. "Where's Bella?" I quietly asked.

"With Jake," she whispered. She didn't seem worried about this; perhaps they'd gone back to the waiting area with the others. I was surprised, then, to find only Rose, Emmett and Esme sitting there.

"Where's Bella?"

"With Jake," Rose answered a bit warily.

"Funny. That's what Lexi just told me. Why aren't you guys with her?" I glared at Emmett.

"We tried, Bro. She said she wanted to speak with him privately."

"_Where?"_ I growled, my patience wearing thin.

"She said they were going to get a coffee," Rose said. I turned and strode out of there without another word. I would deal with them later for leaving her alone with that unstable son of a bitch. What were they thinking?

I followed her scent back past Tyler's room and headed down another corridor until it was joined by the scent of coffee. I saw her seated on a bench, sobbing in Jake's arms, and it took every ounce of restraint I possessed not to rush over there and pluck her out of his arms before ripping him to shreds. I concentrated on calming myself as I surveyed the emotional atmosphere, recognizing the emotions coming from Jake were of comfort and reconciliation. I soon realized that they apparently had made up.

He caught my scent and stiffened on instinct. I sent another wave of calm his direction as Bella pulled away and turned to see me. Their explanation confirmed my hunch, although Jake's elaboration and apology took me a little by surprise. It seemed appropriate that I shake his hand and express my own gratitude. His words were more honorable than what I thought he was capable of, until this: "But know this; you fucking drain her and we're coming after you." Ah, there's the Jake I know and despise.

"_Jake!"_ Bella hissed in alarm.

I reached over slowly, took Bella's hand, and gently pulled her toward me, wrapping my arm possessively around her waist. I placed a kiss on top of her head and, not without effort, managed not to sneer in disgust. My wife _reeked_ of that mutt, and I decided first order of business when we got to the hotel would be to personally wash her body from head to toe and then cover her with my own scent.

"Fair enough," I drawled at the mutt. "But know this in return: these tears?" I traced my finger across her cheek to gather one that had lingered there, and held it out for him to see. "I realize these are happy tears, and that's a good thing. They better be the only kind you ever cause her to cry again, or _I_ am coming after_ you._"

Our eyes locked and I gauged the emotions reeling through him in that moment: defiance, disgust, some anger, and a little fear. He knew I meant every word. I would not hesitate to disembowel him if he ever again hurt her the way he did.

Bella broke the tension with her faux-chipper outburst, and then led us arm in arm back to the ICU. She wanted to sit with Lexi and watch Tyler sleep for a little while before visiting hours were over. Carlisle and Esme were ready to go, so I told them to go ahead and take the rental car to the hotel. Bella and I would take a cab when she was ready.

Jake joined Bella and Lexi in Tyler's room while I stayed on a nearby bench, flipping through a magazine. I could tell Jake wanted me nowhere near Tyler, though I wasn't sure it was expressly because he was concerned I'd be drawn by the wounds on Tyler's body. Since this was a hospital, I was literally inundated with the scent of blood, so Tyler's wounds really didn't hold any extra appeal for me; aside from the fact he was a child. Bella's son or not, even in my most hedonistic era, I never drank the blood of a child. I wasn't going to waste my breath explaining that to Jake however, not tonight. Tonight was about Bella finally getting the time she needed to spend with her son.

We arrived at the hotel about two hours later. Bella had been quiet in the cab, her mood reflective and her soul content.

I opened the door to the hotel room and set down our bags that Rose had left for us at the front desk. I took Bella's hand and led her to the bathroom. She smiled at me as she cocked her head in curiosity. "No offense darlin', but you smell fuckin' awful." I turned the shower on.

She laughed quietly. "Ah, so when I cried on Jake's shoulder, some of his stink rubbed off on me?"

"Yeah, something like that," I chuckled as I pulled her shirt over her head. "Can we just burn this?" I asked, holding up the offensive shirt between my thumb and forefinger.

"Oh grow up, it'll wash!" she chided as she unbuttoned her jeans.

"Don't wash it with my stuff," I mumbled as I slid her jeans and panties down her legs. Mmm. Now _there_ was a scent that had remained untainted by that dog, _and would always remain that way, goddamnit!_ I thought to myself while suppressing a growl. _Mine._

She was watching me as I crouched down to peel off her socks. Her warm fingers softly stroked my cheek. "I love you Jasper."

I stood up and gently kissed her lips. "Get in and let's scrub the stink off of you."

I quickly shed my own clothes, grabbed her shampoo from her toiletry bag and followed her into the shower. She had her head tipped back under the spray, eyes closed, and I paused a moment to take in the sight of her as the water trickled down her body: how her nipples jutted out as the result of the contrast of the hot water and cool air, her flat stomach that once carried life, and how her hips curved out nicely, complimenting that lusciously firm ass. Her legs were trim and softly toned from all the dancing she'd done in recent years. She was beautiful.

I joined her under the spray and squeezed an ample amount of her shampoo into my hand. "Turn around," I said and began to work her hair into a lather.

"Mmm, that feels good Jazz," she moaned. I smoothed a handful of the bubbles down her back and then reached around the front of her to lather her stomach and breasts. I gently turned her so that she could rinse her hair as I washed her body with the bubbles as they trickled down. "You are so beautiful, Bella."

I helped her rinse her body, placing kisses upon it randomly, worshipfully, and then took one of her nipples carefully into my mouth, teasing it with my tongue. "Oh Jazz," she groaned.

I slid down her body and landed on my knees in front of her. "Lean against the wall." She did as I instructed and I lifted one of her legs by its calf, placing her foot on the edge of the tub, and then leaned forward to bury my face in her glistening glory. I nuzzled her button with my nose as I stroked my tongue slowly over the increasing moisture, which had nothing to do with the shower, which was gathering at her entrance. She was breathing heavily, and when I gently thrust two of my fingers inside of her, she gasped and then moaned my name again. I moved my hand in steady thrusts, alternating between sucking and teasing her pleasure button with my tongue. Before long I felt her body clenching around my fingers, which I replaced with my tongue, eagerly lapping up every drop. I then stood up and kissed her, letter her taste herself on my tongue, causing her to moan again.

"Why don't we continue this on the bed, darlin'?"

She agreed with a nod, not having come down from the state of bliss she'd just reached. I shut off the water and grabbed the towels from the rack. We quickly dried off and then I picked her up and carried her to the bed.

She moved like she was about to return the favor on my nearly painful erection, but I needed to be inside her right now. "No darlin', no time for that. Lay back." She complied, lying on her back, her damp hair spread around her head on the pillow. I hovered over her and nudged her legs apart with my knee. Claiming her mouth with mine and throwing all the love and passion I had for her into my kiss, I entered her heat with a deep, swift thrust. I moved in short determined strokes, her mouth gasping and grunting into mine.

"Oh yes Jazz. That, ugh, it, ugh, feels… so… good…"

I sat up on my knees and lifted her legs so her calves were on either side of my head, causing my thrusts to go even deeper than before. "Oh God!" she cried as her body began to clench once again.

"That's it, Bella. Come for me, sugar." She did and after four more long, deep thrusts I followed her.

I rolled off to her side and curled her up next to me, tucking the blankets around her. We held each other for a while in silence as we came back to earth, her heart rate slowing.

"I love you, Bella. I'm happy everything worked out the way it did today."

"Jake told me I could continue to be a part of Tyler's life, Jazz. He's such an amazing little boy."

"With you for a mother, how could he not be?" I kissed her cheek. I could see her smile in the darkness, and then she yawned. "Get some rest, darlin'. We'll go back and see him in the morning."


	33. Chapter 33

Not a whole lot of fuzzy feel good in this one either...

Mynxi's the beta bomb.

SM's characters, but with much filthier mouths.

**Jasper**  
After checking on Tyler, who'd remained stable through the night, Carlisle and Esme took off later the following morning. Rose and Emmett chose to stay behind with us while Bella spent one more day at the hospital visiting Tyler. I accompanied her while Rose and Emmett decided to hit downtown Seattle for a little shopping.

Jake was a little more cordial toward Bella but feigned aloofness toward me. As much as he tried to cover it, his disdain for me reigned rather supreme in his emotions. It probably didn't help that I didn't even bother trying to hide my grin when I saw the expression on his face as Bella hugged him hello. We'd had a speedy lovin' session right before going to the hospital and I made sure it was _me_ she was reeking of today. I think she may have been on to me about it, but I made damn sure that she didn't care. Needless to say, their hug was very brief. She spent most of the day at Tyler's bedside; much of it with Lexi, but toward the end they left her alone to give her some privacy with the boy. In such a short amount of time, it was obvious a connection between the two had been forged. She promised him that she would keep in touch.

Bella's emotions were the happiest I'd ever felt from her. Much of the residual heartache she'd been harboring was gone. Making peace with her mother, with Jake, and a budding relationship with her son had all contributed to her buoyant spirits.

We headed back to Boston the following day. Over the course of the flight, we quietly discussed the Quileute's revision to the treaty and what that meant for us. "How do you feel about doing your change this summer, darlin'?" I asked her in a low voice. "Not that I'm trying to rush you or anything, I will always follow your lead when it comes down to that. I got to thinkin' though, that attending classes on campus during the summer may not be the best idea. You've got this James guy sniffin' around you now and it's going to be pretty tough for one of us to accompany you on campus during the summer. We'll be pushing our luck as it is as the weather improves this spring, and I'm just not keen on the idea of you being there alone."

She rolled her eyes at me, which drives me fucking nuts at times like this and she knows it. "It's not like he's one of you guys Jazz. James is creepy but I'm certainly not afraid of him. You know I'm capable of defending myself. Besides, what could go wrong on a sunny day in the middle of a campus full of people?"

"You tell me Bella, you're the fuckin' danger magnet. You can finish the spring semester, but I think when it's done we need to discuss gettin' out of Boston for the summer. Just sign up for online courses if you want to stay on track, we'll help you."

She sighed, indignant yet resigned. "Fine, we'll do it your way. Jealous overprotective vampire," she muttered.

"And your point is?" I smirked at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"So, Jazz, if we do it this summer, then we need to be somewhere secluded right?"

"Yeah that would be best; secluded with lots of wildlife in the area. We have a few options; we can go to the Cullen property in Alaska, or there's a place in the Appalachians that Peter and Char own. And I've got an old ranch in Wyoming that could also be ideal."

She nodded. "Well, let's talk about it with the others and see what they think. I'm not sure how badly I want to go to Alaska for it and be in such close proximity of Edward, considering he's not exactly the biggest supporter of this, but I won't completely rule it out."

She dropped her voice a little lower still; average ears wouldn't pick it up but she knew that I would. "I'm glad you're going to be able to bite me."

I dipped my head and kissed her lips. "Me too, darlin'."

"Will Peter's feeling be hurt he can't be my 'poppa' now?" she asked with a hint of sadness. Hmm, I'll have to explore that further.

"I don't know. It ain't up to him anymore."

**Bella**  
After everything that had transpired over those few days, I went to school feeling as refreshed as if I'd been on vacation. It seemed like everything was finally going right in my world, though that fact alone was something which should have been a red flag that something surely was going to fuck up for me. It was just a matter of where and when.

Jasper and Peter walked me to my Language and Society class which featured resident Creepy Motherfucker James. Jasper went on to his own class while Peter grabbed a bench that was rather conveniently placed outside the window of my class.

I went in and got seated and situated, waiting for the professor to show up. I swear he was the tardiest professor on campus, fucker was always late. James sauntered in. I suddenly thought back several years ago to that ignorant horndog jackass Mike Newton, who once described Edward as looking at me like I was something to eat. I had laughed then, but if someone were to make the same comment about the way James was looking at me right now, it wouldn't be so funny because goddamn if he wasn't looking at me like how a fat man eyes a plate of chili cheese fries. What was this fucker's deal?

"Good afternoon, Bellll-a," he greeted me, biting his lower lip as he took me in. "You know, even in jeans and a tee, I can still envision that hot little body of yours."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he moved to sit in the seat beside me. "You know what James, you nasty fucking mouth-breather son of a bitch? How about you pick one of the ten other open seats that aren't right next to me? I have no desire to sit by you, to talk to you, or to look at you. So piss off already!"

He turned and leaned toward me, looking in my eyes. "Now why do you have to be like that Belll-a? Especially when we're starting to become such good friends and all." He smirked and placed his hand on my knee, stroking the kneecap with his thumb. Fuck, I wish I wore my chunky ring today because this fucker was about to get knocked the fuck out.

"I suggest you move your fucking hand asshole, before I-"

"Before you what?" he interrupted me, leaning in a little closer until his face was mere inches from mine. Pretty convenient, actually. I drew back my fist and popped him in his mouth before he knew what hit him. Wasn't gonna break his teeth, but it was definitely hard enough to get his attention.

"_Fuck!" _he hissed, drawing away from me and covering his mouth with his hand. To my surprise he chuckled as he pulled hand away from his mouth, exposing a rather bloody lip. He wiped at the lip, looked at his hand and then licked it off. "I guess I should've known better than that, you were a feisty bitch at the Junction too, if memory serves." _Wait, what?_ He must've witnessed a night I had to 'take care of business' with a similarly unruly customer. It wasn't a frequent occurrence, but it occurred often enough. "That's all right though. Now I owe you one."

My heart skipped a beat. This dude was weird. "Just stay the fuck away from me." My phone buzzed. Peter.

"_Do you need me Stella? – PW"_

I typed back a quick reply before Peter ended up swooping in here and cleaning James's clock. _"Got it covered, thx Petey – B"_

I looked back at James, who now had a fat lip. "If you're not going to move, then I will. You'd be wise to keep your distance."

"I'm not worried about your _boys_, Bella," he said, smirking at me again.

"You should be." I picked up my things and moved to the other side of the room by the window. I looked out and Peter was no longer under the pretense of studying. He was standing up facing the window, arms crossed and looking rather badass. I could tell he'd been seconds from barging in here. I waved at him to let him know I was good. His phone was suddenly in his hand and his thumbs flew over the keypad. My phone buzzed.

"_That's ur new assigned seat or u drop this class – P"_

Goosebumps rose on my arms; this was a first from Peter. As weird as this situation had gotten, I probably should just drop the class, but I didn't want to give that bastard the satisfaction of having run me off. There were only six weeks left in the semester; I could hold out for that long. That is, if Jasper didn't kill James before then.

The professor finally showed up and started class. I managed to avoid any further eye contact or interaction with James as class went on, and tried to stay focused on the lecture. When class was dismissed, I had my things ready to grab and head for the door, but this time James was quicker and grabbed my arm before I could pass by.

"Always in such a hurry, Bella. Tsk, tsk, tsk," he purred.

"Let go James. My _boys_, as you put it, are waiting for me. You don't want them to come looking for me."

"Yeah James, you really don't want that." Peter was standing in the door way of the now otherwise empty lecture hall, looking every bit the part of an archangel bent on revenge. It was just the three of us. Make that four. Emmett was now standing behind him, his arms crossed across his massive chest and his expression portraying nothing but his desire to fuck James up.

James took in the sight of my 'boys', smiled and removed his hand from my arm, taking a step back to allow me to pass. "See you around," he murmured, not knowing it would be easily heard by the two vampires waiting for me.

I walked toward Peter and Emmett; Peter moved aside to let me through the doorway, and then Emmett quickly put his arm around my waist and moved me behind him, mostly out of James's sight.

Peter took a few steps toward James. "This is your only warning: you stay the fuck away from Bella, and you certainly don't lay another finger on her. You may think the big guy standing in the doorway would be the one to fear, and don't get me wrong you don't want to piss him off, but compared to her husband, the big guy is the least of your worries."

"Husband?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes you piece of shit, husband. She's married, not that it would matter to a prick like you. You'll be lucky if he doesn't come after you for this little altercation. If you touch her again-" Peter threatened.

James interrupted him. "Hey man, _she_ hit _me_ asshole!"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh boo-fucking-hoo. I saw your hand on her arm; that's touching her and it's a bad fucking idea. Stay away from her." Peter spun around and stalked back toward us, stepped around Emmett who stood there for a moment longer staring menacingly at James, and took my hand. "Let's go Stella." Peter's lips were a thin line on his face. Petey was pissed.

He was quiet until we got outside, as Emmett fell into place walking along my other side. "The Major ain't gonna like this Stella, not one bit. That dude'll be lucky if Jazz doesn't hunt him down tonight. You might want to count on droppin' that class anyway."

I sighed. "Look, I appreciate you guys stepping in for me like that, but I could've handled James just fine on my own. I've dealt with much worse. And who says Jasper has to know?"

Peter stopped and turned to look at me like I was an idiot. "In response to the first part of that dumbass statement you just made, that was before you were Mrs. Jasper Whitlock, or his mate for that matter. That shit ain't gonna fly now. As for why Jasper needs to know? I happen to like my dick and would rather it not get ripped off for hiding something like this from him. Besides, he's probably already picked up on my and Emmett's aggravation; we can't lie about why we're feelin' that way."

I looked at Emmett who was being unusually quiet. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Class got cancelled," he answered gruffly. "I decided to come hang out with Peter. He was already pissed when I got there and when he told me what had happened and that you had to hit that guy-" he paused and took a deep breath to calm himself, shaking his head.

Peter chuckled. "He just about paid your class a visit right then, but I convinced him you'd be ok 'til the end since you'd changed seats." He turned his head all of a sudden and I followed his gaze. Jasper was walking toward us, his face full of concern.

"You guys were runnin' late, figured I'd make sure everything was alright." He eyed Peter and Emmett before setting his stare upon me. "Why'd you have to change seats?"

**Jasper**  
"Jazz wait!" Bella cried out as I set off in the direction of the lecture hall they'd just come from. I knew the chance of him still being there was slim, but after hearing Peter's rapid account of what had taken place between Bella and that soon-to-be-dead motherfucker, and then taking a look at her knuckles that were still a little puffy from punching him, well I was going to seize the opportunity if it was still available.

Emmett was beside me, still wanting a piece of the guy who dared lay a finger on his Little Sis, while Bella and Peter brought up the rear. "Peter, if he's there, I need you to take Bella away from here."

"Jasper Whitlock, he will do no such thing! Just what the fuck do you think you're going to do to the guy? I mean we're _on campus_ for chrissakes!" I didn't answer her; she didn't need to know the details of what I planned to do to the guy.

Peter and Bella waited outside while Emmett and I went in. The lecture hall was empty; today was that asshole's lucky day.

"Let's go home," I said once Emmett and I rejoined them outside. Peter called Char and told her and Rose to meet us at the car.

"Jesus Jasper, you really don't need to get so worked up about this, nothing happened!" Bella snapped at me.

I froze; is she for fucking real? I grabbed her hand, holding up her still-red knuckles for her to see. "_This_ doesn't look like 'nothing'! Him grabbing your arm to detain you after class, and fucking god help him if you have a bruise on your arm, doesn't constitute as 'nothing'. Either you are done with that class or I'm finding and killing the bastard tonight; he's not going to get the opportunity to touch you again."

She sighed as she narrowed her eyes at me. "Fine! I'll drop the fucking class! This is fucking ridiculous." She stomped ahead of me to the car, where Rose and Char were already waiting.

"What's wrong sugar?" I heard Char whisper to her.

"The _Major's_ got his boxers in a bind, that's what. This paranoid, overprotective bullshit's fucking ridiculous!" she griped, knowing full well I could hear every word. "It's like he took notes from Edward or something!"

I took four long strides until I was standing directly in front of her. Her back was pressed against the car door, and I placed my hands on the window, on either side of her head, my nose inches from hers. "You can be mad at me all you want _Isabella_. I could give a shit over just how mad you get. But I refuse to let this stalker, or whatever the fuck he is, play his sick fucking game with you. Don't you fucking compare me to Edward for this. You owe me a little more fucking courtesy than that." I glared at her.

"Whatever," she mumbled and turned and yanked on the door handle, which was still locked. "Emmett, unlock this fucking door," she seethed.

_Click._

She got in, going back to the third row. "Rose," she called. She didn't want me to sit with her. Of all the childish bullshit - just what was she trying to pull here?

"Huh-uh," Rose said once she got a look at my face. "I love you Bella, but I'm so not getting in the middle of this." She gestured for me to get in so I could sit next to Bella in the back.

Bella huffed and looked out the window. The others loaded into the Escalade as Emmett started the vehicle.

"Are you really going to act like such a baby about this? What the fuck is your problem?" I asked her quietly.

"Fuck you, I'm not acting like a baby," she hissed.

I made a point of taking in her posture, how her arms were crossed defiantly across her chest and the pouty glare she was giving me, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whatever. I don't like backing down from a challenge, and that's what you're making me do. James is a challenge, and you want me to run away and hide like a coward."

I sighed. "I'm not gonna apologize and I'm not changing my mind on this. The guy's bad fucking news. This is one challenge you're gonna pass on, end of discussion."

Bella flounced and huffed around the house for a couple hours. I left her alone to have her tantrum; she'd get over it soon enough, especially since Rose and Char both talked to her on their own volition once we arrived home. They told her they too agreed she needed to drop the class and, to quote Rose, "quit acting like a dumbass".

I later heard her strumming on her guitar and took that as my cue that I was welcome in her presence once again. I walked at a human pace toward our room, listening as she worked out the tune to Alice In Chains' _"Got Me Wrong"_. She really was getting pretty good at playing by ear. I watched her from the doorway; she was sitting on our bed strumming, and only faltered a couple of notes when she realized I was there, but continued on. She glanced up at me and, understanding the unspoken invitation, I sat down on the bed beside her and began to sing along.

_I can't let go,  
Threadbare tapestry unwinding slow  
Feel a tortured brain  
Show your belly like you want me to_

I was surprised when her voice joined in on the chorus, softly singing the harmony nearly as well as Layne Staley had.

_As of now I bet you've got me wrong  
So unsure you reach for something strong  
I haven't felt like this in so long  
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love.  
That don't last forever,  
Something's gotta turn out right_

We finished out the rest of the song, and then I took the guitar from her hands, gently leaning it against the wall. I reached forward and took her hands in mine. "You've got a pretty singin' voice darlin', why is this the first time I'm hearin' it? You should sing more often."

She smiled and looked off to the side a little bashfully; giving me a glimpse of the old Bella that still lingered within her, surfacing at times such as this. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I don't like being mad at you, Jazz."

"Then don't be," I said while giving her my best lazy grin. I was ready for some 'making up'.

She smirked, seeing right through me. "Easy there, Whitlock, I'm trying to apologize here."

"I know the perfect way," I said, continuing to grin at her.

"Alright, let me just say this for my own peace of mind then. I know why you feel the way you do. I don't have to agree, I don't have to like it, but I will respect your wish to keep me safe and drop the class."

I lay back on the bed, pulling her with me so that she was lying on top of me. She smiled and then slowly touched her lips to mine, lightly running her tongue over my bottom lip. I opened my mouth allowing her careful entrance, before I decided to take over. My wild little filly had taken on the Major without much consequence… until now. I pulled away from her mouth and flipped us so that she was now on her back with me over her. She gasped, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Now, about that apology," I said as I lowered my face down to hers. I traced along her jaw with the tip of my tongue. She shivered.

"I did… didn't I?" she gasped; I could feel her confusion.

"I'm not sure I've completely accepted it; I don't take too kindly to having my authority challenged, Bella."

"Oh." Like a mask sliding into place, Bella's mood shifted into that of a subservient quality. She understood now. "What can I do to make it better?"

I smirked at her, as I sat back on my knees then turned to slide off of the bed. I stood next to it on the floor. "Get up."

She slid off the bed and stood next to me beside the bed. "Get on your knees." She complied. I unbuttoned my jeans and freed myself from their constraint. "You know what to do."

She took me into her mouth, going as far as she could before drawing back and then sliding forward again. She repeated these actions, grazing her teeth along my length as I wrapped a fistful of her hair in my hand. I bucked my hips gently; thrusting into her hot little mouth as I gently pushed her head forward, forcing her to take a little more. As she started to gag I pulled back to give her some relief before thrusting forward again, and again, and again.

"You really should know better than challenge my authority, Isabella," I spoke as I continued to thrust in her mouth. "There's a time and place for fuckin' around, and when it comes to other men touchin' and harassing my mate, that isn't the time to fuck with me. Am I makin' myself clear, Mrs. Whitlock?" I pulled all the way out to allow her to speak.

"Yes Major." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

I reached down and stood her up, then swiftly pulled her shirt up over her head. "Get rid of this," I said gesturing at her bra and as she reached behind her back to release the hooks, I shoved her yoga pants down her legs. No underwear.

"Oh my naughty little filly, no panties. That was wise on your part."

"I may have planned ahead, Major," she answered a bit cheekily. Obviously she hadn't learned her lesson yet.

"Turn around." The ghost of a smile on her lips faded, and she solemnly turned around to face the bed. "Now, bend over." She bent at the hips and lay so that her cheek was resting on the bed. I ran a finger over her glistening folds, breathing in the glorious aroma of her arousal. "Mmm, so wet Bella. Who makes you wet like this, darlin'?" I asked.

"Only you, Jasper."

"Abso-fuckin-lutely correct." I plunged two fingers into her and began to pump them. "And who does this delectable pussy belong to?"

She moaned "All yours, Jasper. Only yours." I could already feel her muscles begin to tighten even further around my fingers. I pulled them out and she whimpered.

"Uh-uh, Bella. I'm not ready for you to do that yet. I've got one more little trick up my sleeve first."

I concentrated on sending her the purest form of lust I had within me. She gasped and her entire body began to tremble. "Oh Jasper!" she cried out. I withdrew the lust and felt her frustration at the loss immediately.

"Hmm, you like that, darlin'?" I hit her again with another wave of pure lust, putting her just on edge of ecstasy where her orgasm would be imminent, and as her muscles began to quiver I pulled it back again.

"Jasper please!" she cried. I got on my knees behind her and pressed my face forward into her dripping center.

"Mmmm, you smell divine." I traced my tongue along the edge of her folds, sampling the moisture that had collected there. She moved her hips around trying to find whatever I could provide to satisfy her desire. I stood, deciding she'd been through enough, and not bothering to take my jeans all the way off, I positioned myself at the entrance to her molten heat and plunged in. I grabbed her hips and proceeded to giving her a fucking she wouldn't soon forget. She came undone almost immediately, but I wasn't there yet, and continued on with my pace. Where one orgasm ended, her next began. I was beyond words; I was reclaiming what was mine yet again. I won't have my mate tampered with, defiled, and I will kill the motherfucker who dares to try otherwise.

As if she picked on my thoughts, in her nearly breathless orgasmic stupor, she quietly uttered the one word to send me over the edge: "_Yours."_ And just like that I released in her with a roar. I withdrew and flopped onto my back beside her, my jeans still partially on.

I readjusted myself and buttoned my jeans as she worked on slowing her breathing back to normal, still lying on her stomach. Her face was flushed and her eyes were droopy. I turned onto my side and brushed her hair away from her face, leaned in and kissed her on her nose. "Do we have an understanding my dear?" She nodded, seeming incapable of coherent speech just yet, which was just what I had intended.

"Good."


	34. Chapter 34

If this is your first time reading SJ, please to heed the warning below. It's there for a reason.

Beta'd by Mynxi, who was looking out for y'all with this one.

SM's characters have a really, really nasty side to them when you make them angry. So, one probably shouldn't do that.

****WARNING!** The following chapter is not fluff; in fact it gets rather ugly compared to what I've written thus far. It's violent, it's dark, and there is some OOC going on that will probably throw some of y'all for a loop. Please don't hate on me too badly. Rape is discussed in this chapter, though not in explicit detail. If you are sensitive to this topic, please use your own judgment in reading this chapter!**

**Bella**  
The next few weeks passed rather uneventfully. Other than my two hours in the library on Fridays, I was never unattended. I missed a couple days of class due to it being far too sunny for my vamps to venture out.

Peter and I grew closer after the confrontation with James. He was still a smartass fucking perv as usual, but he never quite lost the protectiveness after that day. He was almost on par with Emmett in that respect.

Jasper was still vigilant but slowly removed much of the stick that'd been lodged in his ass. I knew he still had an issue with my library time, but I was adamant I was keeping time for myself. It's the fucking library, give me a break! Still, I packed a little switchblade with me just in case. A girl can't be too careful.

We decided as a group that we would head south to Peter and Char's place in the Appalachian Mountains when it was time for my change. There was plentiful wildlife and minimal opportunities for me to come across humans. We would leave at the end of the semester.

There were only a few weeks until the semester's end and I was in the library doing research for a paper I had to write for Modern History II. I needed to find some information to support an argument I was making based on the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. I came across the title of a fairly obscure book that was supposedly located somewhere in this library. Now, to find the section where it was supposedly located.

I spent forty-five minutes scouring the shelves, when I finally found the book I was looking for. I looked around and saw that I was in a nice, quiet, virtually secluded section of the library; why couldn't I have found this area sooner? Ah, glorious solitude!

I looked at my watch and saw that I still had about an hour before Jasper would be showing up. I grabbed a corner and sat Indian-style against a wall next to one of the bookshelves, with the book in my lap, turned on my iPod and dug into the book. Before long, I felt the vibration of footsteps approaching me. I quickly glanced at my watch to see if I'd lost track of time, and when I saw that I hadn't, I looked up to see which of my vamps came early for me. As it turned out, the answer was 'none of them'.

I quickly stood up as James stopped in front of me, my iPod clattering to the floor. "What the fuck do you want?" I sneered at him as I inched my hand to the knife in my pocket.

James smirked at me evilly and, before I could move, he drew back his fist and punched me in the face. The force of it knocked me back into a bookshelf and the back of my head connected to the wood. I fell to the ground as pain flooded my head and anger flooded my soul. I sat up on one arm and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva on the floor. "You're gonna really fucking wish you hadn't done that."

"Is that so bitch?" James scoffed. I moved to stand up and he kicked me hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. My phone buzzed on the floor as I began to choke trying to get air back into my lungs.

James stomped on my phone. "There won't be any interruptions this time; at least none that I didn't invite," he added with a sinister chuckle.

"Hey James," I heard an unfamiliar voice call out. "I got your text. What the hell kind of surprise would you have in the libr-. Oh, I see. Good work, my man. Let's do this."

I managed to turn my head in the direction of the new voice. While I hadn't recognized the voice, I sure as hell recognized who it belonged to. Tall Dark and Sloshy. Oh, fuck. This was going to be very bad indeed. "Shit," I wheezed, trying to get my hand into my pocket.

"Oh shit is right, Bellll-a," James chuckled and then turned to TDS. "Got just the perfect place, right through that door." He pointed toward a large metal door marked 'Storage'. He began to fish around in his back pack as I struggled to get to my feet. He held up a key. "I've been monitoring your study habits for awhile Bellll-a; it was just a matter of time." He reached back into his pack and pulled a roll of duct tape, which he began twirling around his finger.

My fingers clasped around the knife in my pocket as I got up on my knees. TDS walked up to me and stood in front of me. "That's a good position for you. Open up that door James so we can take this party somewhere a little private." He smirked at me.

I pulled the knife out, clicked it open and thrust forward. He jumped at the sound of the click and moved just enough so that I missed my target of his nut-sack, instead embedding about two inches of the knife into his thigh.

He cried out through clenched teeth and growled in rage. "_You fucking bitch!"_ He swung and punched me hard across the face. Everything went black.

**Jasper**  
I was sitting in class trying to remember what it was I really hated about school sometimes. Oh yeah, it was idiot professors like this one who didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. I could teach this Government class better than he could, having lived through much of the time period he was droning on about. And why the fuck hadn't Bella answered my text yet? Just then my phone vibrated. _There she is,_ I thought to myself. Except it was from Alice.

_Library. He's there. Get Peter & go NOW._

MOTHERFUCKER!

My fingers blurred over the key pad as I texted Peter and then I stood and abruptly headed out of the classroom.

I ran as fast as humanly possible; maybe a little faster. Peter got there the same time I did.

"What's goin' on?" he asked me as we entered the library.

"Alice texted me. That fucker's here and Bella never answered my text, I'm pretty sure she's in trouble." I went to the table where she usually sat and found it empty. Where the fuck is she? Did he take her out of here? I suppressed a growl in my frustration.

"This way Major," Peter said very quietly. "Her scent goes in this direction." We quickly walked past shelves of books going back to a virtually deserted section of the library. Her scent was more concentrated in this area, so she'd recently been here. A few steps further and I picked up the sound of her voice and that of two men who would not be drawing breath much longer. I ran in the direction of the voices, not caring whether there were witnesses to see me or not. I could feel fear, rage, and lust emanating from the room located beyond the large metal door in the far wall. Peter stood by as I twisted the knob, which was locked; it was easily broken with a little added pressure by a twist of my wrist.

My vision turned red as I took in the scene before me. In the back of the dimly lit storage room, my Bella was being restrained by James who held her from behind. Her arms were pinned behind her back; likely bound, by the way she was struggling and unable to move them. Her shirt was torn nearly completely down the middle and he had one hand slid underneath her bra, groping her breast. Her face was bruised, her eyes blackened, although one of James's own eyes was nearly swollen shut, and it appeared his ear was bleeding. There was another man standing in front of them. He held a knife, which I recognized as Bella's knife; he was tracing its tip down her neck as he was unbuttoning her jeans with his other hand.

Peter and I both snarled, unable to contain our rage. James's head snapped up at the sound. "Shit! Demetri!" Demetri had barely turned around when we appeared directly in front of them. I recognized him immediately as the man from Bella's bar who had messed with her and Rose that one night. The grudge he apparently still carried was about to lead to his demise. A fresh cut graced his eyebrow and he had another scrape on his cheek. Bella had put up a hell of a fight.

Peter grabbed James's hand away from Bella's breast, crushing it in his own. James gave a garbled scream and fell to his knees clutching his shattered hand to his chest. Demetri swung the knife at me, aiming for my stomach; his eyes widened when the blade sliced through my shirt and then bent on impact with my impenetrable skin.

"How… What the fuck are you?" he gasped. I grabbed him by his throat, squeezing to the point he could only barely breathe. With my other hand, I reached over and gently stroked Bella's cheek. Her eyes lost some of the wild-eyed fear they'd held when we came in, and her emotions segued from fear to seething anger, along with the relief and love she held for me.

"We'll get you free in just a sec, Darlin'." I told her soothingly.

I then turned back to Demetri. "I'm your worst fucking nightmare, that's what the fuck I am." My eye caught the roll of tape the bastards had used on Bella. I wasn't going to make this quick or painless, yet we also couldn't draw attention.

"Peter," I gestured toward the tape. "Get that and tape these fuckers mouths shut. Get their hands and feet too." He was there and back with the tape ripping a large piece off before either of the men could gasp. He started with James first since I still held Demetri secure by the throat.

"I told you that you didn't want to fuck with her husband. You're in deep shit now," he muttered almost cheerfully to James. Demetri heard this and renewed his effort to struggle out of my grasp; I tightened my grip just a little more until I felt the air moving though his windpipe with a wheeze.

"Oh, no no no, my friend. You and I are going to have a little fun first."

Peter came over with the tape, ripping off another strip. "Hmm, _delicious_ fun. Do you smell that Jazz?" he asked me. Blood stained the thigh of Demetri's jeans where it appeared he'd been stabbed, very likely by my little hellcat. Much of it had congealed but there was still some fresh trickling out.

I released Demetri's throat and he fell to the floor. Peter tossed him over by his friends like a bag of dirty laundry, and then went to work on taping his hands.

I turned my attention back to Bella and carefully peeled the tape away from her mouth. I snarled again when I saw her split lip, obviously from being hit; fresh blood appeared when the tape came away and I at that point I stopped breathing. My anger and the sweet smell of her blood were not a good combination.

I gently took her face between my hands and stroked away the tears that fell from her swollen, bruised eyes. She inhaled sharply with a hiss as my thumbs traced over the discolored flesh, and I felt the pain shoot through her. I would inflict so much misery on those assholes.

"Shh," I soothed her. "I'm gonna take care of 'em, darlin'."

"Good," she whispered.

I turned to Peter who now had Demetri bound and on his knees next to James; both men's eyes were wide with panic and fear. Peter was getting a good look at Bella's wounds and I felt his rage grow three-fold; I gave him some calm. "Not yet, Peter. Call the others and tell them to discreetly make there way back here."

Peter called Char as I started to remove the tape from Bella's wrists. I heard him quickly explain the situation and where to find us. "Get Rose and Emmett and meet us here, as soon as you can. And baby; bring some garbage bags. There's gonna be some trash to take out when we're finished here.

The blood rushed back to Bella's wrists as I removed the last of the tape binding them. I walked around to stand in front of her and took her tiny hands into mine. The knuckles were bruised and cut. "You got your licks in, didn't you darlin'?" I carefully kissed across each one, ignoring the burn in my throat her open wounds were generating.

"Goddamn right I did," she rasped. "I wasn't going down without a fight."

I took off my button-down and peeled off the t-shirt I had on underneath it. I gently tore away the remnant of her t-shirt, growling when I saw the black and blue marks marring her shoulders and stomach. I pulled my t-shirt over her head. "Those fuckers won't be leaving this room alive. I hope you understand that," I whispered.

She put her arms through the sleeves of the shirt, carefully raised her arms with a wince, and looped them around my neck, and then rose on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. She then moved her mouth to whisper in my ear. "Make them pay."

**Bella**  
My face and body were in agony from the beating I'd endured from James and Demetri, but it was nearly drowned by the intense rage I felt over their assault and the violation that was thankfully interrupted by Jasper and Peter. I had no doubt that they were about to do some very heinous things to my body, Demetri had more or less made that clear. I came to as they were starting to tape my hands; I got some good shots in on the both of them before Demetri pounded my face in.

The look on Jasper's face when he got there was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen in my life. It was as though the devil himself had come through the door, followed by Peter whose own look of fury was nothing to be taken lightly. And when Peter had crushed James's hand, the fingers of which had just been brutally twisting my nipple, I found gratification in the sound of those bones breaking; I only wished that I could have done it myself.

When I heard Peter tell Char on the phone to bring garbage bags, I knew the end for these two was not only near, it was not fucking gonna be pretty. Jasper was resigned to making their death as unpleasant as possible. I needed him to know he had my support in this. As far as I was concerned, those fuckers lost their right to walk away the second they brought me into that room to beat and rape me. When I told him to make them pay, he drew away from me, sweetly kissed me on the forehead, and said, "Oh darlin', I intend to."

Emmett, Rose, and Char showed up moments later. Emmett turned into the epitome of barely-contained rage when he saw my busted up face. Jazz had to calm him to keep him from shredding them right then and there. Rose still managed to land a solid kick Demetri, breaking a couple of ribs, before Jazz calmed her too. Their intentions struck a particular chord with Rose; she held an especially intense hatred for rapists.

"Rose, I need you to take Bella home while we deal with these two. Help her get cleaned up. She's got a couple of open wounds, so be careful."

"Jesus Jasper, I wouldn't attack Bella," Rose snapped.

Jasper ignored her as he turned back to me and stoked my cheek with a feather-soft touch. "We'll be home soon, darlin'. I love you."

"Love you too," I softly replied.

He kissed me gently; I tried not to wince as his lips connected with mine but I'm sure he felt my pain anyway. He straightened his posture, turned on his heel and stalked over to where Emmett and Peter were glaring at an extremely frightened James and Demetri. "You two like to stalk, beat up, and rape women? How about we give you a little lesson in it, what do you say?"

"I say that's a fine fucking idea, Jasper. Now which one of these little bitches is gonna go first?" Emmett growled as he began unbuttoning his pants.

Rose took my hand and gave me a gentle tug to lead me away. "Come on Bella, let's go. You don't want to see this."

Maybe I do. "Is Emmett going to…?"

"Go home, sugar," Char suddenly spoke, without turning around. Her voice sounded uncharacteristically flat yet strained.

Rose explained further once we were outside of the room. The section of the library was still deserted. "Those pieces of shit are about to suffer for what they've done to you, and intended to do to you. Because of my past, Emmett feels pretty strongly about rapists too. He won't be gentle."

Even through the thick metal door Peter had shut and blocked behind us, I could hear a soft rhythmic thumping and the muffled groans and cries of one, or both, of my captors. No, it wouldn't be gentle at all.

Rose drew a bath for me in my bathtub when we arrived home. My body was covered with bruises and marks that looked a lot like handprints. My face was nearly unrecognizable due to the bruises on my cheek, my black eyes, fat lip, and swelling on my jaw. I looked monstrous.

I soaked until the water turned cool, and then dressed in my baggiest, comfiest sweats and padded to the kitchen where Rose had a hot bowl of soup waiting for me. "Thanks, sis," I said but paused before I sat down to eat.

I went to my small liquor cabinet and pulled out the bottle of Grand Patron that Peter and Char had gotten me for Christmas, and a glass. The first pour, a double, I drank as a shot. The second pour was with a heavy hand, and then I carried the glass with me to the table. I sat down across from Rose and began to eat the soup.

"So how does tequila taste with chicken vegetable soup?" she asked skeptically.

"Tonight it tastes fucking devine," I deadpanned.

"Are you okay?" she asked me, the concern etched in her porcelain face.

"I'll be better when Jazz and the others make it back," I said as I slurped down a mouthful of soup. Rose's nose wrinkled slightly, which I ignored. "Are we going to have to move now?" I asked her.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Depends on how bad the bloodbath was."

I looked at her blankly, my spoon paused halfway to my mouth. She was dead fucking serious.

"Two things Bella: Never underestimate the Major's wrath. Ever." She air-quoted 'the Major'. "Second: Never underestimate the wrath of one very pissed off Emmett McCarty Cullen, especially when it involves harm coming to his family."

I nodded and then picked up my glass and drained it. "Refill?" Rose asked. I nodded as I took another bite of soup. My face hurt like a motherfucker. I kind of wished I had some of my painkillers left, but Jasper had disposed of my stash when I first moved in with him back in Phoenix.

"So what is it with you and guys named James anyway?" Rose asked me as she poured my drink.

"Fuck if I know," I answered. "If I meet another, I'm gonna fuck him up right out the gate just as a precaution."

Rose set the glass down in front of me and sat in a chair closer to mine. After a moment, she spoke again. "Bella... they didn't get a chance to…did they?"

"No Rose. They felt me up a little, but Jazz and Peter got there in time."

She sighed. "Good. I mean, I'm sorry that it got as bad as it did, but I'm glad they weren't able to do worse. That shit fucks you up for life, even when you're undead."

I nodded. I imagined that it did. Feeling James's hand on my bare breast was enough to make my skin crawl.

Jasper, Emmett, Peter, and Char arrived home at that moment. Both Emmett's and Jasper's jeans were nearly black with almost-dry blood. Good thing that kind of shit doesn't make me squeamish anymore. Peter and Char's eyes were such a vibrant red they practically glowed. I wasn't surprised to see Emmett's eyes remained topaz, if not a muted shade due to his somber mood, but I was a little surprised to see that Jasper's also had remained topaz. He gave me a small lazy grin as he picked up on my surprise as I stared in his eyes.

"Peter and Char got greedy," he teasingly explained. Peter grinned as Char smiled bashfully.

Emmett and Rose slipped away quietly, but not before Emmett gave me a wink and a sad smile. "They can't hurt you anymore, little sis."

I nodded. "Thanks, big brother."

Peter and Char excused themselves too, leaving Jazz and I alone in the kitchen. "Come with me while I get cleaned up?" he asked.

"Sure," I said quietly. I picked up my glass, drained it, and placed it in the sink. I walked him to our room.

"Let me get cleaned up and I'll be your icepack okay? I can feel that you're sore," he said as he stripped off his bloodstained t-shirt.

"How did you guys get out of there unnoticed with you and Emmett covered in blood?" I asked.

He looked at me warily as he peeled off his ruined jeans. "There was a door that opened to a loading area behind the library. Char brought the Escalade around and we loaded the uh, _trash_, and got out of there. No one saw us."

"And the trash?" I asked, morbidly curious.

"Disposed of. Trust me Bella, you don't want the details." He stripped down to his boxer briefs and turned on the shower.

"What if I do?" I asked. He paused and looked at me, possibly gauging how serious I was. I was damn serious.

"Can I give you a summary without getting into specifics?"

"That'll work. I want to know."

He looked at the floor and then looked back up at me. He started to speak, but then paused.

"Jasper, I'm going to be one of you in a few short weeks. It's time to stop hiding the ugly side of vamp life from me. I need to become familiar with the nightmare side to it too. Now fucking tell me what you did to those worthless sons of bitches."

"You've got a point there, I guess. Fine, I'll tell you, but only the summary. Being that you're still capable of having real nightmares and all." I nodded in acknowledgment of his logic. "James and Demetri were raped as brutally as possible, beaten within an inch of their lives, and then Peter and Char took what was left of their miserable lives. They were then disposed of."

"What about the storage room? Evidence?" There had to at least be blood on the floor, by the looks of the all blood that ended up on Jasper and Emmett.

"Before Char retrieved the Escalade, she found the janitor's supply closet. We gave the place a speedy but thorough scrub-down. It may be determined later, at some point, to be suspiciously _too_ clean for a storage room, but it is free from any evidence that would implicate us."

I nodded, my curiosity now satisfied.

"Can I clean up now?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Yeah, I'll be on the bed. I think I need to lie down."

He reached forward and squeezed my hand gently. "Alright, darlin'. I'll be there in a bit."

I lay on the bed and was asleep within a few minutes. I awoke briefly to Jasper crawling in bed next to me. He pulled me close to him and I rested my aching cheek on his cold bare chest. I then reached for the hand he'd rested on my waist and brought it up to rest on my tender swollen cheek on the opposite side.

"That's better," I sighed and as I drifted back off into unconsciousness I felt his lips gently press into the top of my head.

"Sleep well, Isabella."


	35. Chapter 35

Still with me after that last chap? Good, 'cause you're not gonna want to miss this one. *grins*

Beta'd by the beta-wife, Mynxi.

SM characters, my fuckery.

**Bella**  
It took a few days after the attack at the library for me not to feel like I'd been hit by a freight train. The day after, I was in so much pain that Jazz called Carlisle to come take a look at me. I'd refused to go to a hospital or clinic to be checked out; I was worried that my injuries would give the medical personnel cause to alert the authorities. We didn't need that kind of attention.

Carlisle's reaction when he first saw me took me by surprise. I'd never seen him look so angry.

"This is nothing Daddy C, you should see the other guy," I joked as I saw from the corner of my eye Emmett, Rose and Jasper execute synchronized face-palms. Peter, of course, thought it was funnier than hell.

Carlisle ignored Peter's chuckles. "What became of the fucking scoundrels who are responsible for this?" Holy fuck, Carlisle just said 'fuck'. That sound you just heard was my head exploding.

"They were dealt their due justice," Jasper answered solemnly.

Carlisle nodded. "Good," he said quietly, and began his examination of me. When he finished, he announced that I had no concussion or broken bones; although it was possible I had a cracked rib from being kicked, as well as some pretty nasty contusions and bruising. He prescribed some pain pills for me, and then as he prepared to go he hugged me and kissed my cheek. "I'm glad you're okay, darling. I wouldn't normally condone the loss of human life, but in this case, I wish I'd been there to do it myself."

Wow. "Thanks Daddy C," I said humbly. "Just so you know, I'm going to try and avoid getting my ass stalked and beat for these last few weeks before my change."

He drew back. "That's right. So you are going through with it this summer?"

I nodded. "We're headed to Peter and Char's home in the Southern Appalachians. It's a secluded enough area for us to do it there."

Carlisle nodded. "Alright then. If you need any help, I'm just a phone call away."

Jasper shook his hand. "Thanks Carlisle. With the five of us, I think we'll be able to handle it. Of course you and Esme will be welcome to visit once things are settled down a bit."

Carlisle looked at me and touched my cheek gently. "I look forward to it."

"Uh… me too?" I answered in a half-question, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't having one of his 'moments' was he? Seriously, when I'm looking like Quasimodo after just having received the beating of my life? A glance at Jasper, who was also looking at Carlisle with raised brow told me that, yes, yes he was.

"Alright! Well thanks for stopping in to, um, check me out but I think I'm going to go lie down now." I squeezed his hand and left the room. I heard Carlisle leave shortly thereafter.

Rose and Emmett had taken off back to Beartown State Park for a few days following the attack. When they returned, Emmett was back to his normal self. Meanwhile, Jasper had taken to virtually hovering over me and by the following weekend I was feeling so smothered I practically begged him to take his own hunting trip. His eyes had grown rather dark in color and he knew for himself that a hunt was going to be necessary. He, Emmett and Peter decided to take a day trip to the state park and left us girls to do our own thing, which turned out to be the two of them giving me a mani-pedi and followed by a movie marathon of Chevy Chase at his finest: National Lampoons Vacation movies.

My digits were a deep plum color and we girls were laughing over Emmett wanting to be called Emmett Poppagiorgio for the two months following his seeing this movie, when the guys returned. "Welcome back Mr. Poppagiorgio," I cracked as Emmett entered the room.

"Vegas Vacation huh? Hey I thought that was an awesome last name. In fact one of these days, that will be my alias, just you wait." Rose rolled her eyes, shook her head and mouthed _'No it won't.'_

Jasper's eyes were now a beautiful bright butterscotch color. He bent over the couch and kissed me. "Welcome back baby," I said to him. "You look much better."

Then I got a look at Peter's eyes, which were now a peculiar orange color. "You tried bear?" I asked.

"Yeah it's a little too gamey for my tastes though," he said with a wrinkle of his nose. Of course it is.

By that following Monday I was ready to return to class. Much of the bruising had faded, but Rose helped me anyway with my makeup, helping to blend those marks on my face into non-existence.

I was nervous at first about what awaited us on campus, but my fears proved unfounded for the most part. By the end of that first week back, I'd heard only a few whispers of gossip about a couple of frat guys that had gone missing.

We carried on, business as usual. I even resumed my Friday study session in the library, although it was never without a queasy feeling in my stomach. I fucking hated that those two assholes had ruined what once had been the moment of solitude I had enjoyed so much. I wasn't afraid; they certainly weren't coming back and the threat had been removed, but just being at the scene of the crime, so to speak, just left me feeling uneasy.

I began to tie up some loose ends in my human life as the time for my change grew near. Lara asked me to come visit her in Los Angeles this summer. She was pregnant, due in August, and wanted me to come for her baby shower. Now even if it was possible for Jasper to accompany me to Los Angeles in the middle of summer, I don't think I would have gone; as much as I loved my former best bitch, I think I would rather have my finger nails pulled out one by one than go to a fucking baby shower. Not my gig; never was, never would be. When I had Tyler, I insisted they throw the shower for Lexi, because it wasn't like I was going to be around to use the shit anyway. So I told her that Jasper and I would be headed to London to study abroad once the spring semester came to an end, and sent her five hundred dollar gift card for Pottery Barn Kids.

I also used the London cover story with Renee, who was asking us to try and make a trip down to Jacksonville over the summer. This was an especially hard loose end to tie up, but she and I had already made our peace. I had been maintaining occasional correspondence with her, mostly email, but I knew that eventually even that would have to come to an end.

Lexi and I continued to keep in touch, now being able to correspond without resorting to covert measures. Tyler was doing very well, almost as good as new. Apparently, Carlisle had also taken care of Ty's hospital bill, which went a long way to strengthening Cullen-Quileute diplomatic relations. Well, I should fucking hope so.

The disappearance of James and Demetri were beginning to garner national media attention just as finals ended and the semester drew to a close. It was time to go. I was going to miss our 'little' Boston mansion; the weather never did warm up enough for me to be able to enjoy the pool, unlike my vamps that, unfazed by the cooler temps, enjoyed some nighttime frolicking on occasion. And on one occasion, a neighbor got to enjoy Emmett and Rose's frolicking session as Rose caught a neighbor standing in his third story window with a smile on his face, binoculars in one hand and the other hand quite out of sight. Rose was not pleased, to say the very least. Yes, it was time to go.

We took care of our own moving arrangements this time, as the cabin we were going to was apparently rather secluded and virtually unknown by the humans occupying the surrounding area. Peter and Char preferred to keep it that way.

Their place was furnished already, with the exception of bedroom furniture, so those items plus our personal belongings were all that needed to come with us. We decided to extend the lease on the house for five years just in case we, or any of the other family members, wanted to use it.

Peter and Char left a day ahead of us, with Char driving their Denali and Peter following in the moving van, to get the place opened, aired and ready for habitation.

The remaining four of us checked into a hotel for the night and went out for one last night out on the town. We found a dirty little blues club with a live band that was right up Jasper's alley. I drank rum and cokes and danced in the cold stone arms of my very gorgeous vampire husband, my _mate_. His low, velvety voice was softly singing in my ear along with the music; he knew many of the tunes the band was playing. Could I really have gotten any luckier in finding someone to spend not only the rest of my life, but the rest of fucking eternity with?

I moved away from his shoulder to look into his eyes. He gazed back at me from underneath that fuckhot fedora (which I'd really just like to mandate he wear every fucking day from now on), with his eyelids heavy with lust, and I suddenly felt the love he was feeling for me at that moment. It was like being surrounded by a warm blanket made of the softest mink. "I love you too," I whispered, kissing him softly on his smooth granite mouth. I rested my cheek on his chest as we continued to dance, our movements slow and sensual.

"Are you ready for what's comin' darlin'?" he asked me quietly in my ear.

"Tonight or after the move?" I asked playfully. I knew what he meant.

"Oh I know you're ready for _tonight,_ Darlin'," he chuckled. "I can smell you; it's all I can do not to leave right now and take you back to the hotel."

I felt my body flush at his words and he chuckled again, as I'm sure my scent just tripled in concentration. He bent his head and began kissing along my neck. "But I think you know what I meant was, are you ready for what's comin' after the move?" The sensation of his lips and tongue across my neck, along with the mink love blanket had me just about rendered speechless.

"Mmm, yeah. Yes, I mean, I'm ready for it. I'm so ready to be one of you, your equal, your partner, your mate."

"You're already three of those four things, darlin' the fourth is a mere technicality soon to be remedied." His lips tugged on my earlobe. "We're almost there."

"Speaking of almost there," I said a little breathlessly, "How about we head back to the hotel? I think I've had my fill of Boston for a while."

"Sounds good to me. Besides, I've got somethin' else for you to get your fill of."

**Jasper**  
We left early the next morning to make our way south. The cabin was located in the mountains on the border of Virginia and West Virginia. Bella and I rode in my truck, and Rose and Emmett drove their Escalade. We chose to leave Bella's Jeep at the Boston house. It wasn't as though she was going to need it anytime soon anyway.

Her emotions were fluctuating from excitement to anxiety to fear and back to excitement again. I reached across the console to give her hand a squeeze. "You lead remember? We don't do nothin' until you give the word."

A week or so after her attack, Bella and I had a long conversation that led into how she wanted her change to go. I had thought she'd want the bite during our lovemaking, but it seemed I couldn't have been farther off. She wanted to make it a family event.

I would initiate with the first bite, upon her neck, and then Peter, Char, and Emmett and Rosalie, if they were up for it and could maintain control of themselves, could bite and contribute their own venom at the other major pulse points: her wrists and ankles. She felt that with everyone's participation it would strengthen her bond with us all as a family and, in a way, strengthen our bond with each other as a family with all having contributed to her creation.

"I've never had family like this, the feeling of unity, the love and support," she'd said. "For me this will cement that bond. Fuck, I sound like I watch too much Dr Phil don't I?"

I'd laughed and assured her that she made perfect sense. And when we later presented the idea to the others, they were all very honored and touched by her proposal. Peter and Char were on board right away; this certainly wouldn't be their first time assisting with the turning of a human. Emmett and Rose were a little more hesitant, as they'd never participated in a turning and Rose had actually never before bitten a human. She was concerned about her control, something which Bella understood.

About twelve hours after leaving Boston, including two stops for food and four bathroom breaks for Bella, I turned off the main road onto an unmarked dirt road that was overgrown and ill-maintained. After another thirty minutes during which I maneuvered unpleasant terrain, we came to a huge metal gate where Peter stood waiting for us.

"'Bout time you assholes decided to show up. The human keep makin' you stop?"

"Fuck off Petey and open the damn gate," Bella laughed.

He swung the heavy gate open to allow our rigs to pass through. I chuckled and slammed my foot down on the gas, throwing rocks as the tires spun for traction in the gravel.

"What was that for?" Bella asked, amused and surprised.

"Just because," I laughed. I could hear Emmett cursing me in the Escalade behind me as the rocks landed on his precious glossy black paint.

I watched Peter come running up through the dust and leap into the bed of my truck. He pressed his face and both middle fingers against the back window. "Asshole!" he called through the glass.

A few minutes later we pulled in front of the 'cabin'. Bella gasped. "That's a _cabin_?"

It was a wood and stone monstrosity Peter had built not long after I had parted ways with them, around the time I'd met Alice. If you crossed a ski lodge with a Scottish castle, you would have Peter's cabin.

Peter hopped down from the truck bed and flitted to Bella's door to open it for her. "C'mon Stella, let me give you a tour of the joint."

It was basically big enough for each couple to have their own wing. It was decorated with dark-stained wood furniture, large paintings adorning the wall, and rich Persian rugs on the floors.

"It's like a fucking castle, Petey. You built this?" Bella was awestruck.

I could feel the pride radiating from Peter. "Sure did. This was my and Char's first real home after we parted ways with Jasper. Now we get to see how it holds up against newborns."

"Yeah, shit, I hope I don't break anything! This place is really cool," Bella said as she walked around gaping at everything.

"Why don't we get a fire going? It might get a little cold as night falls," I suggested.

"Good idea. Girls, Char's in the kitchen makin' Bella's last supper," I winced at Peter's words. "Why don't you keep her company while we get this fire going?"

Bella just smiled. "Can't wait to see what she's come up with." She and Rose headed off in the direction Peter pointed them to.

Emmett and I followed Peter out to where he had a few chords of wood stacked.

"How's she holdin' up, Major?" Peter asked as we loaded our arms full of wood.

"She says she's fine and her emotions reflect that to be true for the most part. She's nervous for sure, maybe a little afraid, but I think that's to be expected." I shrugged.

"So when is this happening?" Emmett asked.

"Tonight, tomorrow night, I don't know. Whenever she says she's ready. I told her we don't move until she gives the signal. Have you given any more thought about taking part in her turning?"

"Rose and I talked a lot about it. I think we're going to do it, but we're gonna need to run out of here and hunt if it could be as soon as tonight. I don't want to take any chances."

I nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Mind if I join you?"

He shook his head, "Not at all."

We carried the wood inside and set it down by the large stone fireplace that stood like an opening to a secret corridor in the wall. I could almost stand up right in it if I wanted to. Being a fireplace, I really didn't want to.

"I'll take care of building this fire, why don't y'all run and take care of your hunting? I got a hunch Stella ain't gonna wait too long to do this."

I felt my eyebrows rise. "You think?"

He nodded. His Jedi skills had been a little lacking in recent weeks, but just as I learned to never bet against Alice, I've also learned never to dismiss one of Peter's hunches.

"How about you, are you good?" Emmett asked Peter. I could feel his protective big brother nature being the driving force behind that question.

"Yeah, Char and I ate earlier this morning." He began placing logs in the fireplace.

"Well then, I think we should grab Rose and find ourselves some dinner. You ready Emmett?"

**Bella**  
Char had bought a small selection of food to have at the house for me. Small as in two frozen pizzas, a couple bottles of water, two apples and a box of Pop Tarts.

"Gee, Wifey, I hope town's not too far away. What if I decide to put this off for a while?" I asked her teasingly.

Char smiled. "The nearest store is over an hour away, but it's definitely do-able if we need to," she said. But then she looked me dead in the eye, almost as though she were looking right into my soul. "But we won't need to, will we sugar?"

"Peter?" I asked, both in question and in summons.

Char nodded with a smile as Peter appeared in the kitchen. "What's up Stella? Last requests? Perhaps a quick romp in the sack with me and Char before the Major gets back? This is our last chance for an interspecies threesome you know." He grinned at me while waggling his eyebrows.

"No, you asshole!" I laughed, giving him, or at least attempting to give him, a shove. _Just a few more days, _I thought to myself, and stopped. Huh. They're right. I have no need to wait. I'm here in the middle of no where, let's do this shit.

I turned to Char. "Babe, you didn't happen to grab any wine or anything when you shopped? I'd like to get one last buzz on."

She smiled conspiringly and reached under the counter. "I found the kind you loved so much in Phoenix."

"Then pop the cork on that bitch and let's get this party started."

By the time Jasper, Rose, and Emmett had returned, I'd eaten half a DiGiorno pizza, drank two-thirds of the bottle of wine, took a shower, and put on a tank top and pair of yoga shorts.

"Hey darlin', did you get some dinner?" Jasper kissed my cheek.

"I did. And I'm ready. Let's do this."

He froze. "You're sure darlin'? There's no rush."

"And there's also no reason to wait. I've eaten my last shitty frozen pizza," I turned quickly to Char, "No offense Char, I appreciate you picking that up for me," and then turned back to Jasper, "and I've gotten my last pleasant buzz from this fantastic wine. Now fucking bite me already." I heard Peter snicker.

"Okay. You're ready," Jasper said slowly nodding. "We're ready too, I think. Aren't we?" He looked around to the others who also slowly nodded in affirmation. "So where?"

"Follow me," Peter said.

He took us down a hallway into a room that a decorated largely in Asian accents. There was a large bronze Buddha in one corner, a silk print hung on one wall, and there was what looked like an oversize massage table in the center of the room. Lit candles lined the walls, giving the room a feeling of ceremonial ambience. The scent: cherry blossom.

"Oh Petey, you thought of everything!" I said.

He smiled almost bashfully. "The candles were Char's touch."

I kissed her on her cheek. "Thanks Char-babe. I love it."

I walked over to the thickly padded table. "So on here then?"

Peter nodded and Jazz gently lifted me on to the table.

"You sure about this, sugar?" he asked as he helped me lay back and get my head situated on the small pillow.

"I've never been more sure of anything, other than that time we shouted 'I do'."

He smiled and kissed me on the lips as the others moved to surround the table.

"If you can, Bella, try to focus on your human memories while you go through this," Rose suggested. "I can't say it will distract you from the pain, because it won't, but it may help you retain some of your memories for afterward." She bent down and kissed my cheek. "Good luck," she whispered.

"Thanks, Rose," I said quietly. I knew she'd been against my doing this for so long, but it meant a lot that not only was she now supporting me, she was going to participate.

Emmett spoke next. "You're gonna make one bad ass vamp, lil' sis."

"Thanks big brother," I smiled.

"You'll do fine, sugar," Char said, giving my foot a little squeeze.

"Alright, enough of this saying goodbye bullshit. Sure she's dying, but she's gettin' ready to start living, am I right Stella?" Peter grinned at me.

"You most certainly are Petey. Jazz," I turned my head to face my husband who was radiating concern. "I love you and I can't wait to be your true mate once and for all. I'll see you on the flip side of this." I gave him a smile and thought hard about how much I loved him.

He gave me my favorite lazy grin in return. He bent down and kissed my lips. "Love you," he whispered.

"Love you too," I whispered back. "Now bite my fucking neck."

He chuckled and kissed me again, deepening it this time. He poured all the love he held for me into it, and I moaned under its intensity. He pulled back and began kissing along my jaw, nibbled my earlobe, and then nuzzled the sensitive area behind my ear. Suddenly I felt a wave of calm blanket the room as he made his away down to my jugular. "_Mine,"_ he whispered and then he sank his teeth into my flesh.

I gasped as I felt the razor sharp teeth slice into my neck as though it were the consistency of butter. I felt another wave of calm as I felt and listened to him drink from me. He paused for a moment and then dragged his tongue across the wound.

"Okay," he said and nodded to the others.

I watched as Peter picked up one wrist and Emmett picked up the other.

"Love you Stella."

"Love you Baby Sis."

They sank their teeth into my pulse points, and then paused, pushing their venom into me. Peter looked solemn yet calm, but Emmett looked as though he would be crying if he were able to.

"It's okay big brother, you're doing great," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

They dragged their tongues across the wounds they'd made and gently placed my wrists down at my sides, Emmett choking back a sob as he did so.

Char and Rose each carefully lifted an ankle and, after Char gave Rose a nod, they bit into the thin flesh over those pulse points. Char was as calm as Peter, even sparing me a loving glance as she paused to push in her venom. Rose had her eyes closed, her gorgeous face strained with concentration and the inner conflict she must be fighting right now.

"This means a lot to me Rose. Thank you," I breathed. A whisper wasn't quite possible as my body began to react to the venom.

The pain began to crescendo as Rose and Char sealed my wounds and gently placed my feet back on the table.

I spared one last glance at my family as the flames of hell suddenly consumed my body.

"Oh, shit," Jasper whispered as he braced himself against the coming onslaught of my pain. I threw my head back and shrieked in agony.

**"**_**MOTHERFUCKER!"**_


	36. Chapter 36

Beta'd by my Mynxi.

Characters are the property of SM.

**Jasper**  
I braced myself as the wave of fire came upon Bella. She and I had not discussed this part of her change, how it would affect me. I didn't know whether it had occurred to her that I would be experiencing it with her every step of the way. Sure, I could leave the house and escape the burning, but I would never leave her side. I would gladly suffer with her because I knew that when it was over she was mine for eternity and I was hers.

When she arched her back and screamed, it was as though a sonic wave of heat shot through the room. I was unprepared for the force behind her scream and inadvertently projected it to the others in the room. All four cried out in pain and fell to the floor. I reined it back into myself and gasped, "Go! Get out!"

"We're sorry Jazz," Rose choked as she hurried out the door. Char followed at her heels, "Be strong, sugar."

I looked at Emmett and Peter, who stayed behind. "We're staying," said Emmett. Peter nodded in agreement.

Bella screamed again as another wave of fiery pain overtook her. I tried to absorb it, but again it proved too strong. I groaned and sank to the floor; sitting with my arms wrapped around my knees, I then noticed the other two had adopted similar positions. "Sorry guys," I rasped.

"You don't have to bear it all, Major. That's why we're here," Peter said quietly. "Now let us have it."

"Yeah bro, bring the pain," Emmett said through clenched teeth, gritting as he braced himself.

Just then Bella shrieked again. I reached up to the table and took one of her hands; it was like grabbing a hot coal. I gasped and then took on as much of her pain as I could, carefully projecting it and distributing it equally amongst the three of us. They groaned and gnashed their teeth with its intensity. Emmett was making small rocking motions as Peter was breathing rhythmically, in a manner akin to the Lamaze breathing pregnant women use for giving birth. Then something amazing occurred.

With the next wave of pain, Bella cried out, and then gasped in a deep breath and began breathing just like Peter.

"_Hee-hee-hoo. Hee-hee-hoo,"_ she panted through clenched teeth.

While it did not take away the pain, not even close, I could feel her attempting to manage it, channeling her concentration into that breathing pattern. The focus helped relax her some and, in this instance, every little bit helped. Peter continued to breathe rhythmically with her, and after a moment, Emmett and I joined in.

This would go on for the next forty-eight hours.

**Bella**_  
Son of a motherfucking cocksucking whore but this shit fucking HURT! _I knew they'd tried to prep me for this, but could one of them maybe have fucking warned me that I was about to be dropped into a deep fryer set at 1500 motherfucking degrees? Because it sure as hell was what this fucking shit felt like. _God damn it!_

It was as though I was body surfing in an ocean of fire; the flames surrounded me constantly, but every now and then a large wave would overtake me. I tried to suck it up during the calmer ebb and flow of misery; a sob or whimper might escape. The wave was a different matter. That was hot fucking lava crashing over me. Screaming was pretty much mandatory for that shit.

Oddly enough, when I screamed, it felt like an echo reverberating from me and then I would feel some of the pain being pulled from me. _Oh, Jasper._ I knew then, that he was suffering right there with me.

As the ebb and flow returned, I vaguely heard Peter and Emmett's voices. I tried to listen to what they were saying, but the roar of the next wave of fire crashed around me once again. I screamed. Suddenly, I could hear rhythmic breathing, much like what I'd learned to do in my birthing class when I had Tyler. _Tyler._ I grasped on to this as though it were my buoy in that wretched sea, and then I felt a cool hand take mine.

I began to focus, grasping that buoy and my lover's hand, while I breathed and remembered, as Rose had suggested I do. I had to focus a lot harder when the fiery waves would crash over me, and a scream would still escape from me more times than not, but I continued to cling to my buoy as I reviewed my life.

Renee. Charlie. Skinned knees. Stitches at the hospital. Summers in Forks. Leaving Renee. My first day at Forks High School. Ugh, Jessica, that fucking twat; moving on. My first glimpse of the Cullens. _Oh, Edward._ Alice, my crazy ass pixie best friend. Rose; god what a bitch she was back then. Emmett, my larger-than-life vampire teddy bear. The van. Emo-ward. The meadow. A declaration. The baseball game. The nomads. The first James who tried to kill me. The escape to Phoenix. Jasper, my protector even then. Edward promising to never leave me, the fucking liar. That fucking birthday party. Abandonment; my darkest hours. Charlie's worry. Mike Newton thinking he's a player. Jake, my personal sun, my first lover, and, yes, a wolf. Graduation. Charlie's funeral. My burgeoning belly. Feeling that first solid kick. The look of love in Jake's eyes. The look of regret in Jake's eyes. Leah, my rock. Giving birth to my son, and then saying goodbye. My second escape to Phoenix. Lara, the bestest bitch who ever was. Sassafrass Junction. _Jasper._

As the intensity of the pain began to recede, little by little, my thoughts centered on the reason I was burning to begin with. His golden eyes, wavy blond hair, and lazy grin that had me ready to drop trou' any time, any place. _My mate._

While the pain was still present, it wasn't as intense; I slowed my breathing to almost a normal pace. As the fire faded from my limbs, I heard a voice whisper, _"She's getting close."_

"_So soon? It's only been just over two days,"_ whispered another.

"_It's not like there's a fucking rule book. Two days, five days, it takes as long as it takes."_ I knew that cranky, albeit sexy voice. My Jasper.

The fire was now concentrated in my chest, burning hotter as my heart began to race.

"_Should I call the girls?"_ asked a deep, raspy voice. Big Brother.

"_Too close of quarters in here, let's wait a bit. She's gonna be a little skittish at first,"_ Jasper said. _"Y'all back up a little."_

My heart sounded like a machine gun, rapping out a final staccato before it ceased to nothing. One last tap signaled the end.

I sucked in a gulp of air, my eyes flew open, and I sat straight up, the momentum startling the shit out of me. "What the fuck?" Oh shit, my voice sounded so _weird_.

I heard a chuckle a couple of feet from me. With barely a thought, I flipped myself off the table and crouched in defense with my back against the wall.

"Easy, darlin', it's just me."

My eyes locked on to the source of that sexy velvet drawl. His eyes were cautious, but I could feel the depth of the love lurking behind them. His lips were turned up in his lazy grin, and as my eyes traveled down his figure I took in the sight of the scars littering the skin of his neck and arms. An instinct within me told me I should fear them, fear _him_, but I quashed that nonsense. This was My Everything standing in front of me; I straightened my stance.

"Fuck Jazz, you scared the shit out of me!"

There was a glimmer of confusion from him, but that turned to joy as a smile lit up his face. I grinned and leaped into his arms, knocking him down in the process.

"Whoa, easy sugar!" he laughed and I cut him off by shoving my tongue down his throat. I'd always had to hold back a little when kissing him, in consideration of his razor sharp teeth. This obviously was no longer a concern, so I went for it. There was a sudden swirl of lust surrounding the two of us.

"Uh, should we go?"

I stiffened and whipped my head around toward the source of the voice. Emmett was standing across the room feeling rather uncomfortable.

"Sorry Emmett." I moved off of Jasper and crossed the room to give my brother a hug. I decided right then to try something; I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tightly, lifting him off the floor. "Hey, Big Brother," I grinned up at him.

"Shit Bells, easy there!" he grunted. _Fucking awesome. _

"Sorry Em, I just had to try out this new brute vampire strength I've got goin' on now," I laughed.

I suddenly felt an unfamiliar touch caressing my ass as Jazz sounded a warning growl. I dropped Emmett, turned and swung; my fist connected with Peter's mouth.

"OW!" he cried as he backed away with his hand covering his lips. I was shocked and felt bad for about a nanosecond, and then I started laughing my ass off.

"What the _fuck_ Stella? Why'd you hit me?"

Jasper shook his head. "Really, Peter. I don't know what you were thinking by a) sneaking up on a newborn like that and b) touching my mate's ass in the first place," he growled. I continued to howl in laughter.

Peter glared at me, as he massaged his tender lips. "Just what is so goddamn funny?"

I tried to compose myself. "A few months back during one of your moments of jackassery, I swore to myself that one of my first tasks as a vampire would be to punch you in your fucking mouth. Guess I just made good on that promise," I added with a giggle. Emmett and Jasper snickered.

"Can we come in now?" I heard a lovely female voice on the other side of the door.

"Come in Rose, Char," I answered.

They opened the door and entered cautiously. Both were even more gorgeous now, with my enhanced eyesight. "Wow, you guys," I said with awe. "You two are fucking _hot_."

Rose smirked. "Wow, yourself, sis. You look phenomenal."

_Oh that's right!_ I forgot my features would be altered with my change. "Fuck! Where's a mirror?"

Char giggled and swung open a closet door that had a full-size mirror on the back.

I gasped when I saw the face staring back at me. My features were still there, but my eyes were now bright crimson. My skin was paler, cheeks a little more defined; lips were darker and maybe a touch fuller. My hair looked fucking awesome; even the best colorist and hair extensions money could buy wouldn't have achieved these luscious locks that hung down almost to my waist, and my now-permanent highlights were absolutely perfect. This was a perk in and of itself; I always hated going to the beauty salon.

My eyes wandered further down and "Fuck me, my boobs grew! Sweet!" I put my hands on them and gave them a perfunctory squeeze, while the other vamps in the room laughed.

"Yeah sugar, the change definitely comes with some benefits," Char said.

"Yes ma'am," Jasper said as he walked up slowly behind me, and carefully wrapped his arms around my waist to hug me. His eyes never left mine in my reflection.

"Why are you being so careful? I'm not fragile anymore," I asked in confusion.

"You're a newborn, darlin'. My prior experience has proven they tend to be kinda squirrely; I'm just takin' proper precautions." He kissed my cheek. "You look beautiful, sugar," he whispered.

I felt the stirrings of lust again, but I also began to feel something else. My throat felt prickly like I really needed to cough. "I think I'm… thirsty? My throat feels weird."

Jasper popped his head up with a start. "Holy shit! How could I have forgotten that? Of course you're thirsty. You're just now noticing it?"

"Yeah, it's a little irritating, not too bad. Shit, after the last couple of days, this is a fucking tickle. Fuck that shit was painful!"

Jasper took my hand and began to lead me out of the room. He was walking about as fast as my grandfather. "Why are we walking so slowly?"

"This is human speed. Better get used to it."

"Can we get used to it later? I'd like to eat sometime today, if you don't mind."

He threw his head back and laughed. "You got it. C'mon." We moved at vampire speed toward the door. Much better.

I noticed the others were preparing to come with. "Do you guys mind if Jazz and I go alone this first time?"

"Well…" Jasper felt unsure about that idea. Wait; how the fuck did I know how he felt?

"It'll be fine," Peter said. "You two kids have fun." He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"Thanks, Petey. How's the mouth?"

He gave me a little scowl. "Still smarts, you little hellcat. Now get out of here before we change our minds and decide to tag along."

I growled at him and stopped, startled by my own response. Okay, now _that_ is cool.

Jasper chuckled. "Yep, lots of new stuff to get used to. C'mon let's go."

He took my hand and pulled me out the door, and then we took off running hand in hand and raced into the woods surrounding the house. Scents of all different sorts of deliciousness accosted my senses.

Jasper stopped us once we were in the thick of the woods. "Now, it's all a matter of instinct. Once you lock on to what you want, go after it. There ain't any humans around, so whatever you find is open season."

I sniffed the air and found what I wanted almost immediately. I took off but stopped abruptly when Jasper called out "Wait!"

I turned around. "What the fuck Jazz, you said it was open season. I'm declaring open season on that bear that's about five hundred yards this way." I pointed in the direction I'd been heading toward.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You knew there was a bear over there?"

"Uh, yeah, can I go drain it now?"

"How did you know?" He cocked his head at me.

I sighed in exasperation. "I don't know; same way that I know there's a herd of caribou, or as I'd like to call it, _dessert_, in that direction!" The tickle in my throat was quickly evolving into feeling like I'd swallowed a mouthful of sand. "Now can I please go after that fucking bear?"

Jasper was still wide-eyed at my revelation. "Um yeah, sure darlin'. Let's go get you a bear."

**Jasper**  
Bella took off again, full speed, in the direction of the bear and I followed, allowing her some space. I had no fucking clue how she knew what or how far it was, or about the caribou for that matter, but she was dead on. Kind of reminded me of…. Well, I'll be damned.

Just then Bella stopped, having come within fifty feet of a rather large, male black bear. She sank down in a low crouch and prepared to spring. The bear noticed her and stood up on his hind legs with a growl. Bella's leap into the air was a thing of beauty. She landed in front of the bear, who swiped at her with his mighty claw. She bent backward, bending at her knees and keeping her back straight to duck the bear's swing, coming around full circle and then standing upright once again. Shit looked like it was straight out of _The Matrix_, and was sexy as fuck.

She sprang again, shooting straight up and did a flip over the bear's head, landed on his back, and then wrenched its head to the side, breaking its neck. The bear fell forward to the ground with Bella still on its back as she sank her teeth in and began to drink.

I was speechless; first of all, she was an absolute natural, as if she were a decades-old vampire and not mere hours. Second, those moves right there? My gal, my _mate, _would be a force to be reckoned with in a battle. In my past, it took weeks of training a newborn before that kind of skill surfaced, and even then, not all were able to meet that kind of ability. Third, it was turning me on like nothing before, and it was time to introduce Bella to the _real_ joy of hunting.

She finished draining the bear, threw her head back and went to wipe at a trickle of blood that had escaped from the corner of her mouth. I swooped in on her, eliciting a startled growl from her, but as I licked the smear of blood from her chin, the growl turned into a purr. She stopped and her eyes grew wide.

"Did I just fucking _purr_?'

"Natural reaction, darlin'," I explained and then I covered her mouth with mine. Her hands wove into my hair, crushing my face to hers. "Easy honey, you're strong now," I cautioned, my voice muffled by her lips.

"Sorry," she said and drove her tongue further into my mouth. We lay down on the ground, our lust becoming a swirling vortex in the woods. That is, until Bella moved to wrap her legs around my waist and kicked the bear carcass that still lay beside us. Apparently that was a mood killer, and her movements stilled.

"Uh Jazz? Are we really going to do this next to a dead bear?"

I started kissing down her lovely porcelain neck. "No, sugar, we're gonna start this next to a dead bear, and then I'm pretty sure we're gonna move it to that sturdy looking tree over there. Welcome to hunting, Bella Whitlock."

I pulled her tank top over her head and began to worship those pale new fuller breasts of hers, paying special attention to their prominent rosebud tips.

She hissed and wrapped her legs around me tighter. "I fucking love hunting."

"Me too, darlin', me too." I moved farther down her beautiful alabaster body, carefully peeling down her tiny little yoga shorts. I thought the scent of her arousal was intoxicating before; it was now a siren's call. I dipped my head between her legs. Abso-fucking-lutely exquisite. I'd never more appreciated the ability to go an indefinite amount of time with out air, than I did that second. I drove my tongue in as far as it would go, and released my love and lust upon her. She cried out, curling her fingers in my hair as she came with force. Literal force, as in much like the sonic waves of her pain I'd experienced during her change, her lust reverberated from her body. I brought my head up and looked at her in surprise.

She sat up on her elbows and looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"You're projecting?" I asked her, still in shock.

"I don't know, did I?"

"Pretty sure you did, darlin'."

"Huh. So can we discuss this further later on? Because…" Suddenly I got hit with another wave of… horny? I cocked my head at her.

"Fuck you, I'm new at this," she scowled. I laughed and pulled myself back up her body.

"You," _kiss_ "are doing" _kiss_ "great" _kiss_ "Darlin'." I grinded my hips into hers, showing her just what her wave of horny did for me.

"You're wearing way too fucking many clothes" she growled, and before I knew it she'd flipped us and I was now lying on my back. She ripped my shirt from my body and I stilled her hands as they went to my belt buckle.

"Let me get these, sugar. I don't wanna go home bare-assed naked." I stood, rapidly shed my jeans and boxers, and before I had the chance to rejoin her on the ground, she leaped up into my arms, neatly sliding on to my erection with a groan. As her mouth consumed mine, I carried her to that sturdy-looking tree and proceeded to fuck the shit out of my mate.

She dug her fingers into the bark on either side of her head to brace herself as I drove into her with long, forceful thrusts, relishing the fact I no longer needed to hold back. Our combined lust threw us into a frenzy of movement, unlike nothing I'd ever experienced before. I heard the tree crack under the strain of our motions and as it crashed to the ground, we fell with it. Nonplused, she flipped us over and rode me like my name was Seabiscuit. I felt her body begin to clench around me and I sat up, grabbing her hips and slamming her upon me as our noises became incomprehensibly feral. As she came, her mouth landed upon my neck and I hissed in pleasure and pain as she left her own mark upon me.

"_Fuck!_" I hissed and then released into her with a growl.

I fell back to the ground and Bella collapsed on top of my chest, sated for now.

"Fucking incredible," I said as I stroked her hair.

"Fuck yeah, that was," she breathed. She lifted her head to examine the wound she'd left on my neck. "Sorry about that. Does it hurt?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, it stings a little. Not that I want you to make a habit of doing that or anything, but that was pretty fucking hot."

She smiled and lay her head back down on my chest. "Rather memorable way to kick off our forever, don't you think?"

"Pretty sure that was the _only _way you and I could kick off forever." I kissed the top of her head.

She sighed and then suddenly rose up off of me. She flitted to where our clothes lay scattered.

"What's the matter, sugar?"

She went to pull her tank top on, but due to her new strength, the straps snapped as she yanked down the hem. I got up to assist.

"Slow down darlin', let me help. Now what's the rush?" I picked up the two front straps of her tank top and tied them behind her neck like a halter, admiring the crescent scar I'd left there two days before.

"We need to get back; Peter's getting antsy and I don't want him to come looking for us. You know what a fucking perv he is…" She picked up her panties from the ground and ripped a seam as she tried to pull them on. _"Shit!"_

I picked her shorts up from the ground and held them for her as she carefully stepped into them.

"And exactly how do you know that Peter's getting antsy?" I asked calmly as I gently tugged her shorts up into place. I pretty much knew the answer, but wanted to see if she'd caught on yet.

She stopped and thought for a moment, perplexed. "Hm, I'm not sure how I know, I just know, _oh SHIT!_" She screeched. I grinned at her as recognition dawned. "Are you telling me I've got Jedi skills too?" she cried.

I shrugged, continuing to grin at her.

"But, but I'm an empath… aren't I?" She chewed at her lower lip confused.

"Some vampires have multiple gifts, Bella. You seem to be one of them." I didn't mention her oddly natural stalk-and-tackle methods she'd exhibited earlier; I didn't want to overwhelm her. "How about we head back home and get cleaned up, and then we'll see just what kind of goodies immortality has granted you."

She smirked. "If they're anything like the goodies we just inflicted upon that poor tree, then I think I'm really gonna fucking love immortality." I felt her lust flare once again.

I restrained myself from pulling them cute little shorts back down her legs. "Lots of time for that, baby girl. Wanna swing by that herd of caribou as we head back?"

Her thirst suddenly re-ignited and her crimson eyes darkened. "Mmm, dessert. Hell yesss!" and then she turned heel and bolted.

I watched that firm ass move in front of me as I darted after her through the trees. Hell yes!


	37. Chapter 37

She's a vamp now, woot! How was that for a first hunting trip? More to come, stay tuned...

Beta'd by my Mynxi.

SM's characters, fortified with extra Awesome.

**Bella**  
The ability to run through the woods at that speed was nothing short of fuckawesome. We got back to the 'cabin' (fucking ridiculous name for that big ass house) in no time, and found Peter and Emmett playing 360 as Rose and Char watched while looking rather bored. Heads turned in our direction and I felt their curiosity spike, along with a heaving helping of ornery coming from Peter's direction. This picking-up-on-emotions thing was going to take some getting used to. I attained a whole new level of respect for Jasper right then and there. "Thanks, darlin'," he whispered. I smiled at him.

I caught Peter's eye and the shit-eating grin on his face. "I don't even fucking want to hear it, Petey."

He chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just sayin'."

Rose, Emmett, and Char watched our interaction as their confusion grew. "Someone want to let us in on what that was all about?" Rose asked.

Jasper answered her. "Bella's gifts are makin' themselves known."

"Gifts? As in plural?" Rose's eyes were wide as she looked at me.

I felt a little embarrassed. "Uh yeah… apparently I've got the empath thing going on and…" I wasn't sure what to refer to the other thing as.

"She knows shit," Peter finished for me with a grin.

The other three gasped. "Like you?" Emmett asked, amazed.

"Yeah, we got another Yoda in the house," Jasper said dryly, giving me a nudge in the side.

"Sweet!" cried Emmett. "Seriously Bells, that's awesome. Not much is gonna get past you now."

"I guess that's a benefit," I said. I wasn't quite sure what this meant for me yet. I'd been around the vampire world long enough to know the downside to having a gift was that they were often a curse as well.

"So how did the hunt go?" Rose gave me the once-over, noting my makeshift halter top. "I see you had some technical difficulties with the clothes, but something tells me that's not related to the actual hunt." She smirked. "What I want to know is why you aren't covered in blood?"

"Am I supposed to be?" I asked while glancing at Jasper.

"Typically for a first hunt, yes, but you darlin' are far from typical." He addressed the others, "She's a natural. I've never seen anything like it in a newborn." He radiated pride as he said this.

"So what was your first kill, Bells? Elk? Caribou?" Emmett asked eagerly.

"Bear."

"What? Your first kill was a bear and you aren't wearing it?" Emmett was incredulous. "How is that even possible?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, Emmett still gets blood and fur all over him when he gets a bear, but that's because he likes to play with it first. But yeah, even I'm a little shocked you're so clean after a bear. Your clothes aren't even ripped. Well except for…" She gestured at my top.

I smirked and glanced down at my poor shirt. "Yeah, that happened later."

"I don't think I could find the words to describe it with any justice," Jasper began. "That bear barely knew what hit 'em. He took a swipe at her and she ducked it with this fuckin' sweet move; I wish I could take credit for teachin' it to her. Then she flipped over his head and onto his back, snapped his neck and drained him." Jasper squeezed my hand and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"That's my sis!" Emmett boomed as he approached me with his hand raised for a high-five.

I laughed as I slapped my palm against his. "Thanks Em, you'll have to be there for the next one."

"It's too bad we weren't there for this one, we might've been treated to a great after-dinner show. Was that a tree I heard come crashing down?" Peter looked at Jazz and I with a smirk.

"Fuck off Petey, I'm grabbing a shower." I needed to clean up and get some decent clothes on. Oh shit, I might need help with the clothes.

"I'll come with you ,darlin'."

"Thanks, Jazz." We started to head to our room.

"Oh hey, Jasper? Bells?" Rose called. We stopped and turned. "Probably should call Carlisle when you guys are done. He called during her change and while you were out hunting. The suspense is killing him." She smiled and winked.

"Yeah, that sounds like Carlisle. I'll call him after we've cleaned up," he said.

I wondered what Carlisle and Esme would think about how I turned out? Well I had a feeling as to what _Carlisle_ would think, I thought to myself with a snort. Jasper was emitting a feeling of chagrin; I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was. His eyes met mine and I could tell that's exactly what he was thinking. My poor jealous vampire.

"Come on baby. I need you to wash my back," I said as I pulled him from the room.

**Jasper**  
After a round of some soapy lovin' in the shower, I gave Carlisle a call to let him know that Bella's transformation went well, as well as those things can go, and that she was taking very well to being a vampire. He assumed that much of that was attributed to her going into it fully aware of what she was becoming and what it entailed. He asked about gifts, but I glossed over that for the time being; I revealed she was showing empathic capabilities, but left her "Jedi" skills unmentioned for now. Carlisle had a tendency to treat the things that interested him like laboratory subjects, something that would surely piss off Bella at this stage, and he would be in the car headed in this direction within the hour if I told him now. As it was, I asked him to give it a few days before they come, so Bella wouldn't be overwhelmed. He was very eager to see her, _of fucking course, _but agreed to wait.

Before we hung up, he reminded me that Sam needed to be notified of Bella's change, and that it would be best if we call because Sam would likely want to speak to Bella to ensure that she did indeed 'survive' her change.

She and I decided to take care of that call now, no better time than the present. I spoke first to Sam, who asked almost right away to speak to Bella. She rolled her eyes as she reached for the phone.

"Hello Sam," she said.

"_Hello Bella. So you are doing well then in your new life?"_

"Yeah, I'm good. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but I'm good now. I even got a bear on my first hunt today; that was pretty cool."

"_Do you plan to continue the Cullen's vegetarian way of life?"_

"Well fucking duh, Sam, of course I'm going to be a vegetarian. Why the fuck would I do otherwise?"

He sighed and chuckled._ "Why indeed. It seems you have retained much of your charming personality, Bella. I'm sorry, but I had to ask. You do realize you are now incorporated into the treaty and that the guidelines set within apply to you as well?"_

She sighed. "Yes Sam, I've got it. No pillaging villages in a blood-thirsty haze, and only bite creatures with four legs. Anything else?"

I heard Sam chuckle again. _"No, that about covers it. Take care of yourself Bella."_

"You too, Sam, bye." She gave me the phone to end the call, looking at me as she blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Did he honestly think that I was going to go all blood-crazed and go on a human-killing spree or something?"

I wrapped my arms around her. "That, too, is typical newborn behavior Bella, so yeah, he did."

She sighed. "Right, not typical, got it. Whatever." She seemed almost bored by this fact, taking for granted the struggle that many a civilized vampire, myself included, had to overcome. It pissed me off a little.

"I want to call Lexi and Jake," she blurted. "Wait, what's with you? You're annoyed."

I shook my head. It can wait. "Call Lexi, we can talk about it later."

She looked at me for a second and then nodded. "If you say so. Could you dial it for me? I don't trust myself with pushing those little buttons just yet."

I picked up her phone, found Lexi's number on her contacts list, and dialed it for her, leaving the room to give her a little privacy.

"Jazz?" She questioned as I left.

"It's fine Bella. We'll talk when you're done."

**Bella**  
I wasn't sure what the fuck Jazz's deal was. He was coming off as jealous, but it was directed toward me, which was a first. Just then Lexi answered. _"Bella?"_

"Yeah it's me. Hey Lexi."

"_Wow, you sound so different! How are you feeling?"_

"Oh. You know already. Um, I'm good I guess."

"_Bella, you know how word flies on the rez,"_ she giggled. _"Sam just called Jake; they're still on the phone."_

"Oh." I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"_So really, how are you? Did it hurt? Do you look all different now?"_

It was awesome how accepting Lexi was about all this. I filled her in with a summary of what had gone on with my change and my first hunt. I told her about my empath gift but, taking Jazz's lead, decided to kept the 'knowing shit' thing to myself for now, because I really didn't fucking understand it anyway.

"_Wow, a bear huh? That sounds intense; I think I would've crapped myself."_

I laughed. "Not exactly a possibility for me anymore, Lexi."

"_Oh, right. Ha. Hey, Leah just walked in; do you want to say hi to her?"_

I hadn't talked to Leah in quite a while. "Uh, sure, if she wants to talk to me."

"_Oh knock it off Bella. Leah feels the same way I do about this, don't you Leah?"_

"_Huh?"_ I heard Leah in the background.

"_It's Bella. She's a blood-, a vamp now." _Nice save Lexi. _"Wanna talk to her?"_

"_Yeah!" _I heard the rustling of the phone being handed over. _"What's up Leech?"_

I laughed. "Fuck you Leah. How've you been?"

"_Wow, you sound different. I'm good. Me and Daniel are getting married in October."_

"Oh Leah! Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!"

"_Thanks Bells. So how about you? Adjusting to the vamp life okay?"_

"Yeah I am. So far so good, anyway. I'm sure you mutts will be having a meeting about it soon anyway. Jasper and I talked to Sam a little while ago; I guess Jake is talking to him now."

"_Mutts? Eat shit Bella," _she laughed. _"But yeah, you're probably right. In fact…"_ She trailed off.

"_Hey Leah."_ I heard Jake's voice in the background. He must be done talking with Sam. _"Sam's calling a meeting, we need to get going."_ Go figure.

"_Wow, good call Bella. Guess I gotta go."_

"_That's Bella?" _I heard Jake ask. _"'Sup Bloodsucker!" _he called out.

I laughed. "Tell him I said hi."

"_I will," _Leah said. I could hear the smile in her voice. _"I gotta go now, so I'm gonna hand you back over to Lexi. It's good to hear from you Bella. Take care, okay?"_

"You too. Bye, Leah."

"_Bella?"_ Lexi had the phone back.

"I'm here Lexi."

"_Got time to say hi to one more person before you go?"_

"Sure, I guess." I wasn't sure who else I would need to speak to.

"_Say 'Hi Bella'", _Lexi whispered.

"_Hi Bella," _said a raspy little voice that sounded like Jake on helium. I was the epitome of the warm-fuzzies in that very moment.

"Hey Tyler-buddy, how are you?"

"_I just woke up. I had a nap. Momma said I was cranky."_

I laughed. "Well I hope it was a nice nap. Did you have good dreams?"

"_Uh-huh, I dreamed about Lightning McQueen!"_

I had no fucking clue what that was. "Aw, cool buddy! That's my favorite!"

"_Are you gonna come see me again?"_

As soon as fucking possible, little buddy. "I sure hope to, Pal. Someday, okay?"

"_Okay. I'm gonna go play now. Bye Bella!"_ I heard the phone clatter to the floor.

"_Sorry, he threw the phone at me," _Lexi said.

"That's okay. Thanks for putting him on Lexi. It's so amazing he's big enough to talk on the phone now."

"_I know right? And I know it's going to be a while before you can see him, so you may as well get to know each other better this way."_

I had a bizarre moment of realizing that, were I still human, tears would be welling in my eyes. I had a lot of shit to get used to. "Thanks Lexi, that really means a lot."

"_Feel free to call anytime Bella. I mean it."_

"I'll hold you to that. Look, I need to get going now." My throat was starting to itch again.

"_Okay Bella. Thanks for calling. Keep in touch, okay?"_

"Of course. You've got my number too, right?"

She said she did and we said our goodbyes soon after that. My happiness over the acceptance of my new way of life by my old friends and now, technically, my mortal enemies, as well as getting to talk to my little man, was short lived when I remembered I had a sulky husband waiting to talk to me about whatever bug flew up his ass.

"Jasper?"

"In here, darlin'." I found him lying on the bed in our room.

"What's going on with you Jazz? Why were you all annoyed with me earlier?"

He patted the mattress beside him, inviting me to join him. I lay down next to him and curled into his side. It was weird that he was warm and soft to me now. "Did I do something?"

He sighed. "Not intentionally. I guess I'm havin' a hard time with how blasé you've been about things most other vampires have a hell of a time with while coming to grips with their new life. You _should_ be the blood-crazed fiend that Sam was anticipatin'. You _should_ have come back from huntin' covered head to toe in fur and blood, and maybe even some flesh stuck between your teeth. The fact that you're just so fuckin' chill about everything, taking for granted that you seem to have skipped several stages in the newborn process, well I'm sorry; it chapped me a little. It took me decades to get to the level of confidence you're at right now."

"So am I supposed to apologize, Jazz? Sorry for being good at this vampire stuff?"

"Well, no…"

"I mean, shit, I haven't been around any humans yet. For all you know, all my 'crazy' might kick in once I get my first whiff of human blood. And seriously, don't even think that this is easy for me right now, I've got a lot of shit to process!"

He chuckled, but now that he'd ticked me off, that only ticked me off that much more. "I guess you've got a point, but everything _does_ seem to be easy for you right now, compared to what I've known to be true. I'm afraid that you, or any of us, will get too comfortable with how well you've adjusted to this life and thrust you too soon into a situation you're not ready for."

"Wow, for starters: angst much, Jasper? Jesus! Second, we're in the _fucking middle of nowhere!_ Just what the fuck kind of situation are you worried about right now Jazz? I could see if we were in the immediate vicinity of humans, but that's not the case now is it? I mean, my God, I just woke up to this world, and am trying to figure out where I fit in it without needing to worry about whether or not I'm fucking doing it right. Give me a fucking break!" I was getting, no I _was_ pissed, and I felt him try to push some calm on to me. _Oh no you don't, fucker. _Without consideration of what I was doing, I concentrated on deflecting that shit right back at him, because goddamn it he knows I hate having my emotions manipulated without permission!

"Don't you fucking try to calm me, Jasper Whitlock! You started this shit with your moping and pouting, so you can just deal with me pissed off!"

"What the- what did you just do?" Jasper asked incredulously.

"I blocked that shit, that's what I just did. I suggest you don't do it again." I glared at him.

His temper flared then. "Bella, if I feel you are gettin' out of control, I most certainly fuckin' will do it again. _Don't you ever fuckin' block me!_" he hissed, staring at me steely-eyed.

I growled at him. "I'm _not_ one of your fucking newborn recruit trainees, _Major_!" I spat, and then I stood up and went to leave the room. My throat was becoming drier and I was afraid I might kick my husband's ass in a second.

He flitted around me and blocked my exit. "Damn it, Bella!" he growled.

"_Get out of my way,"_ I hissed.

"_Bella-"_

"MOVE!" I snarled and gestured with my hand for him to get out of the way. I felt a current pass through my hand and Jasper's body suddenly moved aside as though I'd pushed him, colliding with the door jamb and causing it to crack. We stopped and stared at each other with wide eyes.

"What the fuck just happened?" I gasped.

"You just moved me without touching me, that's what the fuck just happened." Jasper was awestruck.

"For real?"

He nodded looking at me warily. I turned around, walked back to the bed and sat down. I realized for the first time that I was actually capable of causing injury to Jasper, and it gave me pause.

"This shit just gets weirder and weirder, Jazz. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." A sob caught in my throat.

He knelt down in front of me and took my hands into his. "We'll figure it out Bella," he said quietly. "It don't have to be today, and you're right. I'm worryin' about things that don't particularly matter right now. But you gotta let me help you when I think the help is warranted. Okay, darlin'?" He tipped up my chin and looked into my eyes.

"Okay," I whispered; all the ire in me faded with my most recent parlor trick.

He touched his lips to mine. "I'm with you every step of the way, every day of forever," he murmured against my lips. He traced his tongue along my lower lip, and I opened granting him entrance. He held my head in his hands, threading his fingers through my hair and kissing me deeply.

I moaned and leaned back onto the bed, pulling him with me. "I'm sorry Jasper," I whispered. "I need you."

He gathered the hem of my top in his hands and pulled it up, breaking our kiss long enough to pull it over my head. I had skipped the bra and was grateful to be lacking the barrier as his mouth found one of my already eager peaks. He teased it with his tongue and then bit on the end gently, which ignited my lust even further. He took my other mound into his hand, kneading the flesh and rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

I gathered the bottom of his shirt into my hands, gently this time and carefully pulled up. "This needs to come off." He whipped off the shirt and I kissed all his scars as I felt the muscles in back working while he continued to lavish his attention upon my breasts.

"Not that there was anythin' wrong with 'em before, darlin', but these are definitely nice," he commented as he pulled the other peak into his mouth.

"I love you Jasper," I said, tracing my lips down his neck. "Forever, baby."

He tugged at the waistband of my yoga pants and I lifted my hips to allow him to slide them down. "I need to be inside of you Bella." He tossed my pants aside and made quick work of getting rid of his jeans. His erection sprang free as he shed his boxer briefs.

He climbed over me and nudged my legs apart with his knee. He rose up on his knees and reached down to my folds to find me wet and ready for him. "That's my girl," he said, stroking his fingers in and out of me a few times.

"Please Jasper," I moaned.

He removed his fingers, and I grabbed his hand and brought them to my mouth to clean them off. His eyes went black and with a growl he lifted my legs, brought them up over his shoulders, and thrust in deeply. "You. Are. Fucking. Magnificent," he said punctuating his words with his long hard strokes.

He slipped his hands under my ass and gripped the cheeks for better leverage as he continued to drive into me. I began to quiver almost immediately, but I wanted more. "Harder, Jasper." He moved his grip to my hips and began to slam me against him to meet his thrusts. I reached above my head to grip the headboard, but a piece of it broke off in my hand. Fuck. I reached underneath me to grip on to the sides of his knees instead and as he continued to move forcefully in and out of me, the bed frame began to rock against the wall. It was making the most obscene noise, but I could give a shit because I was about to come and come _hard._

"Fuck, yes! Ah, yes Jasper!" I cried as my insides gripped him; he gave one final powerful thrust and joined me in my bliss. It then occurred to me I could hear four other voices in the house crying out in the throes of their passion. I closed my eyes.

"Was I…?"

"Projecting? Yep."

Fuck. I gotta learn how to rein that shit in.


	38. Chapter 38

Beta'd by my Mynxi

The characters belong to SM, the fuckery is all mine.

**Jasper**  
The next couple of days were spent helping Bella adjust to vampire life and her new talents. That is, when Peter and Emmett weren't trying to instigate fights between us, hoping for another round of makeup sex like what occurred after the last argument Bella and I had. They finally quit when Bella clapped her hands once and their heads knocked together.

In working with her talents, it seemed that she was able to deflect the emotions I attempted to send her, but not physical attacks, so at this stage we figured her mental shield was, as the term implied, that of the mental variety. She didn't yet have full control of her telepathic capabilities; it seemed at this point she wasn't able to move inanimate objects, but with concentration she was able to manipulate us with simple hand gestures as if she were some kind of puppet master.

Carlisle and Esme arrived a little over a week after Bella's change. She felt she was ready for a visit, but I internally questioned whether or not she was ready for the onslaught of desire that Carlisle had for her. I reckoned it was gonna be even worse now that she had pretty much attained utter physical perfection as a vampire.

Peter and Emmett went to open the gate for them down the hill at the end of the driveway, while Bella flitted back and forth across the room pacing nervously.

"Why are you so nervous, darlin'?"

She scowled at me and didn't answer. I shrugged and looked out the window to watch Carlisle and Esme pull up in front of the house in Esme's silver Mercedes M-class SUV. Carlisle's S55 would never have made it up this road.

Rose came and took Bella's hand, forcing her to stop. "Quit fucking pacing, will you? You've got nothing to be nervous about; you look beautiful and you're able to do cool shit now. Stop stressing about it ok? Now, let's go greet dear sweet mummy and daddy," she finished mockingly. I followed as Rose dragged her to the door. Bella's apprehension grew three-fold when Rose threw the door open; Esme was just walking on to the porch. Esme froze and her hand flew to her mouth

"Bella! My god you're gorgeous!" She opened her arms for a hug, though she moved toward Bella with caution.

"Oh, geez Esme, I'm not going to hurt you," Bella scoffed and fell into Esme's embrace. Esme hugged her and then pulled back a little, holding Bella's head between her hands, to examine her more closely. "Just stunning," she whispered; I could feel the maternal love flowing from her.

Bella chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Well, it's not like I was hideous before."

"Oh, of course not, darling! I didn't mean…" Esme stammered and Bella laughed again.

"Relax Mom, I was just kidding."

All of a sudden, Bella and I were both hit by an epic wave of lust and desire; I knew that Bella felt it because she stiffened and her eyes met mine curiously, thinking at first I was behind it. I indicated to her with a quick shift of my eyes that the individual responsible had just stepped onto the porch with Peter, Char, and Emmett in tow. Carlisle stood motionless upon the porch, gaping shamelessly at Bella. Esme narrowed her eyes at her husband; he was really fortunate she wasn't an empath or his head would've been removed by now.

"Jesus, Daddy C, try to keep it in your pants, would ya?" Bella said with a scowl. "I'm surprised you're not humping my leg right now, holy shit!"

"_Damn it Carlisle!"_ Esme hissed, as Carlisle appeared to finally snap out of it, embarrassment took over as his dominant emotion.

"Oh my. Er, please forgive me. I was just taken aback by," he paused as his eyes trailed down Bella's physique and back up again, "the exquisite results of your transformation," he finished with a near purr.

I struggled to contain my growl. Esme didn't.

"You know Esme, I'm a little thirsty; feel like going for a hunt with me?" Bella asked as she shot a glare at Carlisle.

"Yes, Bella. I think I will, thank you." Her demeanor toward Carlisle was definitely frosty, however Carlisle was oblivious to this. He and I were gonna need to have that fuckin' chat after all.

"Rose, Char? You guys want to come along?" Bella offered. Char had accompanied Bella on a hunt a few days ago, and decided to try bear. Unlike Peter, she didn't find it entirely unpleasant.

"Sure, sugar. Yay, girl time!" Char agreed enthusiastically.

Rose smiled. "Yeah, let's go." She spared a fleeting scowl at Carlisle and then the four ladies filed off of the porch.

"See you later," Bella said to me with a conspiring smile. "We'll be back in a couple hours."

"Have fun girls," Carlisle said to Bella's ass, which was moving deliciously under her cotton sundress.

Emmett watched him incredulously while Peter just shook his head in dismay, probably having a clue as to what was about to take place. I wasn't sure what was gonna take place, but I was certain this shit was gonna stop right the fuck now. I was in Carlisle's face in a flash.

"Carlisle Cullen, what the _fuck_ is your problem?" I growled.

He jumped and his eyes widened in surprise at my tone. "Wh-what do you mean Jasper?" he stammered, though he knew full fuckin' well what I meant. The guilt he was feeling confirmed that much, and I knew if it were possible he'd be blushing right now.

"Honestly, Carlisle, if you came all the way down here just to ogle my mate, you may as well get back in that car and leave, because I ain't gonna lie: you're about this close to gettin' your fuckin' ass kicked." I held up my thumb and forefinger together, nearly touching the two together, in his face to demonstrate.

"Yeah, Carlisle," Emmett spoke up. "Did you even see Esme's face? What are you thinkin'?"

He sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry Jasper. I don't know what my problem is where Bella is concerned. I mean no disrespect to either of you, or to Esme, and for that I do apologize. My behavior is out of line."

"You're goddamn right it's out of line!" I growled.

Peter stepped up. "Think about it Carlisle. Bella's an empath now. If Jasper doesn't end up kicking your ass, Bella will if this continues; you can pretty much count on it. We get it, don't we Emmett?" He glanced back at Emmett who nodded, shrugging one shoulder. Peter continued, "Bella's hot as fuck now, but she's Jasper's mate and he's got a track record for volatility where that is concerned. For the sake of family harmony, get your shit in check before you get your head, and your dick, ripped off."

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, yes of course. Bella is my daughter and I should treat her as such. I'll certainly try," he said.

"See that you _do_," I replied with narrowed eyes.

There was a moment of awkward silence, until Peter clucked his tongue and rocked back on his heels with a chuckle. "Sooo, Edward's getting married huh? When's the big day?"

What?

**Bella**  
I could tell Jasper's patience with Carlisle was wearing thin. Hell, I was getting pretty damned annoyed with it myself. Carlisle had been eye-fucking me from the moment he stepped onto the porch. It went from flattering to a little creepy in a matter of seconds. Poor Esme was so mad, I though she was about to rip his balls off, so I offered to take her hunting and let Jasper have an apparently overdue chat with our beloved patriarch.

What surprised me was that Esme didn't feel any jealousy toward me. I knew that if Jasper was making an ass of himself over some other female, I wouldn't be quite so cordial to the female in question.

We set off into the woods and I let Esme take the lead; she ran hard, releasing some of her pent up anger, but apparently it wasn't enough. We reached an area in the woods not far from where Jasper and I had our first round of rough and dirty vamp sex. There had been repeats of such since then, of course.

Esme stopped and suddenly screamed in a fit of rage, and then punched a tree, hacking out a rather large chunk of it. Char and I looked at each other with wide eyes, as Rose just smirked. Unlike Char and I, Rose had seen this side of Esme before. "Go ahead and fuck it up if you need to Esme. We'll use it for firewood later," she encouraged.

Esme punched the tree a few more times, growling expletives intermingled with Carlisle's name as she went. It finally audibly cracked under the assault, and then she gave it a solid kick, toppling it over. She then kicked it several more times, destroying the leather sneakers on her feet. She stopped, looked at them in disgust, yanked them off and continued pulverizing the log with her bare feet. Finally, she sat down on a portion of the fallen log that was still relatively intact.

I sent her a tiny wave of calm, unsure of whether she'd want my assistance or not. She looked at me and gave me half-smile. "Thank you Bella. And thanks for waiting until I got it out of my system; I really needed that."

"Feel better, sugar?" Char asked, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. Esme nodded at her and then stared at the ground. Rage and hurt still simmered beneath the surface.

I felt like I should apologize, but for what, or how, I wasn't quite sure. "Um, Esme, about Carlisle," I began, but she cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"It's not your fault Bella. Carlisle has always had a thing for 'bad girls'," she air-quoted, "Not that I think of you as a bad girl, but going from how you were when we first met you, to the person you are today, well your loss of innocence and naiveté seems to have caught Carlisle's attention. It's one thing when he has those notions about random sluts," she smiled apologetically, "Not that I'm calling you a slut dear, but it's made for some fun times in the bedroom. But now that his focus is on someone in our family, well I'm not going to stand for that." She growled and threw her fist down on the section of log beside her, sending another chunk flying. "He recently called out '_Besme!_' while we were making love, for God's sake!" she growled.

Wow, I really, _really_, didn't need to know that. Even Rose and Char cringed. "Huh, wow, yeah I'd say that's… inappropriate."

"Well he can forget about me ever wearing the brunette wig again, I can tell you that much."

I didn't think my eyes could go any wider, but I was wrong. Please God, someone, make it stop. I felt the familiar itch in my throat and decided to share it with Esme, hoping to distract her.

"Gee, I'm thirsty. Are you ladies ready to hunt?" she asked. _Success!_ We took off in the direction of some elk that were grazing not too far away.

We disposed of the elk carcasses and settled onto the grass along a nearby creek. A sudden thought jolted me. _Holy shit, seriously? _"Edward's getting _married_?"

Esme gasped in shock at my outburst as Rose and Char cried, "WHAT?"

Esme looked at me in amazement. "Yes, he is dear. I was going to tell you later today. But who told you? He only called to tell us the news last night; did he call you guys too?"

Oh right, Esme wasn't privy yet to my other gifts. "I, uh…"

"She knows shit," Rose and Char finished in bored unison.

She looked at me wide-eyed. "Like Peter?" We nodded.

"So what's the story?" I asked, prodding her for details.

"There's not really much of a story, I'm afraid. He and Tanya have been together several months now and they've decided to make it official," Esme explained. There was no mention of how in love they were.

"He's settling," I stated, because I was fairly positive that was the case.

"Tanya's been after Edward for decades. I think he's decided he has no reason to continue running." Her eyes met mine. "She knows that you still hold a significant portion of his heart, but he loves her enough. I guess that's good enough for her," Esme finished with a slight shrug.

"How do you know all this?" Rose asked her with her eyebrow raised.

"Carmen and I speak on the phone quite regularly." Carmen was Tanya's surrogate mom, for all practical purposes, much like Esme was for us.

"That's kind of sad," Char said. I had to agree; I found the idea of settling for less than true love rather unappealing, even though I was close to doing so years ago with Jacob.

"When is the wedding?"

"In October, at the Denali homestead. You probably won't be ready yet to be around humans to make the trip though."

"I wouldn't say that. It's over three months away, you never know." Except I _did_ know that I'd be there. I wasn't sure why but I knew that my and Jasper's attendance would be required at this wedding. "What do you say we head back?" I suggested.

We raced back to the house, with me taking the lead this time, and found the four males in the living room. Peter and Emmett were watching some manly-man movie starring the ever fuckable Jason Statham; looked like one of the Transporter movies. Bald or not, he is one sexy motherfucker. Jasper and Carlisle were seated across the room and appeared to be having an in-depth conversation about my transformation.

"Hey baby," I said as I entered the room. I bent down and kissed Jasper on his mouth before sitting next to him on the couch. Esme was still a little miffed at Carlisle, only narrowing her eyes at his greeting, and then sat down next to Rose and began to flip through one of Char's decorator magazines.

Carlisle's expression faltered a little, looking at the floor apologetically before turning his gaze upon me. I could feel the effort he was making to keep his lustful thoughts at bay. "How are you handling the vegetarian diet? Are you finding animals satisfactory?" he asked rather clinically.

I shrugged. "I guess so. I haven't been around humans so I haven't experienced their scent to be able to compare. I can say that, for me, I can't fathom feeding from a human, no matter how delicious they may smell. I'm not a heathen like some fuckers around here," I teased. "So yes, I find the diet satisfactory."

"Suck it Stella," came Peter's retort from across the room. His eyes didn't budge from the screen.

"Do you have a preference?" Carlisle asked.

"Bear." I glanced over at Emmett and grinned as he gave me the 'Sup nod.

"And your… talent? Jasper says you're an empath."

"Among other things, yes," I hedged. Esme knew, so that cat was out of the bag.

"Other things?" Carlisle looked at Jasper in curiosity.

"Bella has a certain, ah, cognitive intuition, much like Peter's," Jasper explained.

"She knows shit," chimed in the peanut gallery from across the room.

"Really? Astounding!" Carlisle exclaimed. So how does that work, specific concentration?" The lust had taken a backseat in his thirst for knowledge.

"Uh no, shit just comes to my brain inexplicably. For example, while on our hunt, I realized that Edward was now engaged before Esme had a chance to tell me. I just knew."

"Incredible. And about that, you're ok with it, aren't you?"

"Who gives a shit whether or not I'm ok with it? Edward can do whatever he wants."

Carlisle smiled. "Of course. I suppose you know the wedding is in October in Denali."

I nodded. "Yes, Esme told me. We'll be there."

Jasper looked at me with his eyebrow cocked. "Four months may be a little soon for you to be exposed to and traveling with humans."

"I'll be fine," I answered him. "We're going."

Jasper opened his mouth to argue, but Peter interjected "She's right Jasper; we're all going."

I felt an air of determination coming from Peter's direction, and I wondered if Peter had had the same notion that I did.

"I'll be ready, don't worry," I assured Jasper. He stared at me and then finally nodded in acceptance.

"Where will you start Bella's exposure to humans?" Carlisle asked.

"We figured we'd start with a hiking trail that's an hour or so away from here. It's fairly popular with local nature-loving humans. It's a controllable enough environment with the added seclusion of the forest, should things go… poorly." Jasper glanced at me apologetically.

Carlisle and Jasper continued to confer over how I should be exposed to humans. I left them to it and wandered back to my and Jasper's bedroom. My guitar caught my eye, so I carefully picked it up and sat down in the chair by the window. I hadn't played since before my change and I'd really missed playing. Gently, I started strumming one of the songs I'd been picking up not long before my change. I'd added to my Nirvana setlist, this one was "Polly". Playing came so much more easily now, much to my delight.

I lost myself in the music, playing song after song that I'd once struggled over. I switched from my typical 90s grunge music that I'd come to love so much, thanks to Jasper's influence, and began picking out a Kelly Clarkson song I remembered loving as a human, having related to the words so well. I'd never played it before, but after humming a few bars I figured it out.

_Grew up in a small town,  
And when the rain would fall down,  
I'd just stare out my window._

_Dreaming of what could be,  
And if I'd end up happy.  
I would pray._

_Trying not to reach out  
But when I try to speakout  
Felt like no one could hear me_

_Wanted to belong here  
But something felt so wrong here  
So I pray I could breakaway_

_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.  
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.  
Make a wish, take a chance,  
Make a change, and break away.  
Out of the darkness and into the sun.  
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.  
I'll take a risk, take a chance,  
Make a change, and break away._

I stared out the window as I played and softly sang to myself. I became aware of the swirling emotions in the room; the love I felt, I recognized its source immediately. Jazz loved to watch me play and hear me sing, he had since that first time with the Alice in Chains song. Music was just one more thing he and I bonded over. The surge of pride and awe I felt soon after, however, was new. I glanced toward the doorway and leaned against the doorjamb opposite of Jasper was Esme, who looked like she'd be crying if she could. I finished the song and she clasped her hands to her chest.

"Bella, I didn't know you could play the guitar! And your voice? Sweetheart, you sing like an angel! Will you play another?"

"Sure Esme, how about this one?"

I started strumming a 4 Non Blondes song that I knew Jasper loved, and as I caught his eye, he nodded in approval, flashing me my favorite lazy grin. I looked back down to the guitar as I played; I didn't like to make eye contact while I sang, it made me feel awkward.

_25 years and my life is still  
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope  
For a destination_

_I realized quickly when I knew I should  
That the world was made up of this  
Brotherhood of man,  
For whatever that means_

_So I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed  
Just to get it all out what's in my head  
And I, I'm feeling a little peculiar  
And so I wake in the morning and I step outside  
And I take a deep breath and I get real high  
And I scream from the top of my lungs  
What's goin' on_

I smiled to myself as I played when I felt Rose and Char enter the room. I'd become very familiar with the emotional personalities of my four roomies. Halfway through the song, I felt the presence of another; adoration was the dominant emotion, and it was threatening to give way to desire. Carlisle. I'll give Daddy C credit, he was trying. I think he understood Jazz was liable to fuck him up if he didn't get a grip on that.

Rose and Char joined in for the final repetitions of the chorus, and as I finished, I looked up and smiled at my family as they applauded. "Thanks guys."

Now if Carlisle and Esme weren't here, this is the part where I set my guitar aside and Jazz and I engage in some hot monkey lovin'. My eyes met his, which were slightly darkened. Even if I couldn't feel his lust, I would've known where his mind was at. I quickly flickered my gaze from his eyes to the window and then back to his again.

"I'm gonna go out for a run in the woods darlin', care to join me?" he drawled, lazy grin still in play. Real subtle Jazz.

"Sure, I guess I could, uh, feed again."

We weren't fooling anybody of course. Rose and Char rolled their eyes and left the room; Esme smirked at us and then followed them out. Carlisle picked up on what we were off to do, and as his eyes met mine, I saw them darken with desire.

Jazz's eyes narrowed and I could tell he was close to growling at him. Time for a distraction. I flicked my hand at him in a swatting motion and his head knocked back and collided with the wall behind him, as if he'd just taken an uppercut punch to the chin. Jazz snorted as Carlisle's eyes widened in disbelief.

I smirked at Carlisle as I passed by him to leave the room. "You really should go make up with Esme, she's about this close to ripping your balls off," I said, pinching my thumb and forefinger together.

I heard Jasper chuckle behind me. "Forgot to mention she can do that shit too. We'll be back in a while."

I headed out the back door with him close on my heels. Once outside, he stopped me, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzled me behind my ear. "Do you know how fuckin' much I love you right now?" he whispered in my ear.

"How about you show me?" I purred at him.

"Oh I intend to," he smirked and then as his mouth slammed down upon mine, he picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist and we stole away into the woods.

As we ran, I inched my hand down between us and unbuckled his belt, then reached down inside to grab his already hard member. "Damn, Baby," I murmured as I began to stroke him. He groaned in my mouth and, grasping my ass with one hand to hold me in place, he used the other to free himself from his jeans. He then reached under my dress, tore away my panties and thrust himself inside of me. I gyrated against him feeling him twitch within me as he ran, the pounding of his steps causing me to bounce and giving me some of the friction I was craving, but it wasn't enough. "I need more, Jazz," I moaned against his lips, and nipped at his lip. "Stop running and fuck me already."

He stopped, leaned back against a tree, lifted my hips away pulling almost all the way out of me, and then slammed me back down again. I cried out and unwrapped my legs from his waist, instead anchoring one foot on either side him against the tree and leaned back to allow him to fill me completely with each thrust. I held onto his arms, feeling the muscles move under my hands as he moved my hips back and forth against him. "Take that dress off Darlin', I need to see you," he drawled. I pulled my dress over my head and slipped my bra off. "So fuckin' beautiful," he said as he continued to thrust. I felt myself getting close, and could tell that he was too, so I licked one of my fingers and trailed it down my stomach to my bundle of nerves, watching his eyes as he watched my fingers help take me over the edge. He growled and suddenly I was on the ground on my back, being driven into the dirt by his powerful thrusts. "Ah, fuck, Bella, so… fuckin'… sexy… _ahhh fuuuuuck_!" He growled as he came with a last forceful thrust.

He devoured my mouth, kissing me deeply. "I love you so much darlin'."

"I love you too Jazz. Can't we just stay out here tonight? I've already got leaves up my ass, let's have some fun."

"Woman, I like the way you think."

We didn't get back until dawn; it took us forty-five minutes in the shower the next morning to remove all the needles and leaves from our hair and nether regions. Good times.


	39. Chapter 39

Beta'd by beta-wifey Mynxi.

SM's characters, and all that chiz.

**Bella**  
Over the couple days that Carlisle and Esme visited, Carlisle made a solid effort to keep his thoughts and feelings in check. He managed to talk Esme into a hunt and when they returned several hours later, she was sporting a few leaves and twigs in her own hair. Whatever they did out there did the trick in distracting his thoughts from Bella. Of course, I also had a hunch Bella's talent for physical manipulation spooked him a little too.

About six weeks after her change, Bella announced she was ready for human exposure. "Just like that huh?" I snorted. "I'm ready for humans?"

She looked at me with a level stare. "Yeah. Just like that. What's the problem?"

I was in the middle of a chess game with Peter, so why the fuck she chose now to get into this was beyond me. I looked at Peter, who was contemplating his move, grinning at the board, but avoiding eye contact with me. Yoda and Young Skywalker really got on my damn nerves sometimes.

I felt Bella's annoyance flare. "Jazz?" She was waiting for an answer.

"Well, for starters darlin', you're a six-week-old newborn. Just what exactly makes you think you are ready for that step?" She looked at me like I was the world's biggest dipshit. "Don't look at me like that. I know you get 'hunches' but you've only been at that for six weeks. I'm not sure how much stock I want to put in those just yet, sweetheart. Let's give it a little longer, alright?"

I turned my attention back to the chess board. I heard Peter sigh; I looked up and while he was still staring at the board, he shook his head and muttered "Dumbass." Now, why is he calling me a dum-

"You know what, fuck you Jasper Whitlock! If I wasn't fucking sure, I wouldn't have said anything. Who in the _fuck_ made you all-knowing vampire of the world any-fucking-way?" The rage was oozing off her in waves.

"This right here?" I waved my hand around at her. "This hair trigger temper bullshit you're pulling, is _exactly_ why I don't think you're ready yet."

Her eyes turned black and narrowed into slits.

"Don't even fuckin' _think_ about usin' your puppet master bullshit on me Bella Whitlock." I glared at her. We'd discussed this; no using our talents on each other when we're pissed at each other. She didn't like me calming her and I didn't like getting thrown into walls. Her nostrils flared and her emotions escaped her, dousing me in her rage. Instinctually, I snarled in response.

"Stella," Peter spoke quietly. "That's enough. Go cool off and let me talk to the Major."

She looked at him and it was almost as though they were in silent conversation. I sighed; that shit used to piss me off when Alice and Edward did that. Now I gotta deal with these two doing it? I wasn't sure how I felt about that. However in this case, whatever was exchanged between them worked because she backed off, turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. "Ass," she muttered on her way out.

I turned on Peter. "What the fuck, man? Why am I the bad guy here? She's a newborn; am I the only one in this house that keeps this in mind?"

"_Fuck off Jazz!"_ Bella hissed from the other room.

"Outside, Stella," Peter replied. Goddamned, if I didn't hear the back door open; why the fuck isn't she arguing with him?

"_Come on Shug, let's go for a run," _I heard Char say, and then the back door slammed. I returned my narrow stare back to Peter, who held his palms up at me.

"No one's forgotten anything Jasper, but I can tell you this: you can trust her hunches just as much as you trust mine. I can't explain any further than that. We get 'em for a reason and it's very rare that they fail. Now, if she says she's ready, then she's ready. Don't fight her on it. Am I sayin' it's gonna be a cakewalk? No, it probably won't be. She's never smelled human blood yet as a vampire, and she's gonna find out what a struggle it can be to resist that."

I shook my head. "What if she can't? You know how much that'll devastate her!"

"Look Jazz, we got some travelin' to do in a couple months. She can't go from seclusion to being surrounded by humans without a little practice; you know this as well as I do."

"Aw Peter, fuck that wedding. We all know it's a sham anyway."

"Skipping is not an option Major, sorry. So she needs to start practicing her control now." Peter was set on this.

"What's the fucking deal with this wedding?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Somethin' ain't right, but I couldn't tell you right now what it is. I just know we gotta be there."

I sighed. "Alright. I guess we start with the humans then. It's supposed to be overcast tomorrow; I guess we're going hiking."

Just then I heard a commotion coming from Rose and Emmett's bedroom. The Monkey Man seemed to be in prime form, judging by Rose's wailing. "Feel like tracking down the girls?" I asked Peter.

He nodded. "Yeah, let's leave those two to their caterwauling."

I just hoped Bella wouldn't try to make me tear my own balls off or something. Damn but she's got a wicked temper.

**Bella**  
"Argh! What the fuck is his damage anyway?" We were running up into the thick of the trees on the slope of the mountain, a little off of our typical beaten path. "Why does he have to get like that?"

"Well for starters, sugar, he's a man, vampire or not. And he's a man who's trained and worked with thousands of newborns. His experience tells him you're not ready for what you say you're ready for. And because he's a man, he's gonna be thickheaded about it and assume he's right and you're wrong."

"Sounds like a crock of shit to me, wifey," I muttered.

She giggled. "I didn't say it was alright, I just said that's how it is. He'll come around."

Just then the wind shifted and with it came the most delicious smell I'd ever encountered. And that only meant one thing. "_Char stop!"_ I hissed, grabbing her arm. "Do you smell that?"

She looked at me with cautious eyes. "Yes Bella, I do. You understand that's a human, don't you?" I nodded, swallowing back the venom that had flooded my mouth. "What do you want to do Bella?" she asked softly.

Part of me wanted to take off in the direction of that delectable scent, and get to my prey before Char had the chance to. I wanted to drain every last bit of that sweet blood. But no, I couldn't, I _wouldn't_ do that.

"They're headed in this direction, sugar; you need to make a decision. The sun's shinin' and if you're planning on lettin' them live, we need to get out of sight. Now."

I looked down at my arms that were glittering, throwing off rainbows into the sun, and I felt a fleeting moment of pride. Unlike Edward, I found our skin to be a thing of ethereal beauty.

"Don't get distracted by the sparkles, hon. It's go time," Char gently admonished.

"Let's go up here," I pointed up in the branches of the trees. Before she could answer, I climbed up several feet into the branches, high enough for its lower boughs to conceal me. Char joined me a moment later.

"_What are we doing up here?" _she hissed.

"Testing myself," I quietly answered her. The humans were close and my throat was feeling hotter and more irritated than it ever had. Oh my God, how did Jasper never succumb to instinct when kissing me, making love to me? And even Edward; I was his _singer_ and every part within him had demanded that he take my life and drain me dry. Yet he managed to resist. I get it now.

The humans slowly and unsuspectingly made their way to us. Though we were a hundred feet above the ground, concealed in the tree, I could hear the _lub-dub_ of their heartbeats, the swishing sound of their blood pumping through their veins. I swallowed back another mouthful of venom and as the urge to spring grew stronger, I made myself stop breathing. I hadn't done that before, never had a purpose to, but I was immediately so fucking grateful oxygen was no longer a necessity for me. I could still taste their flavor on my tongue, but I found relief in no longer inhaling their aroma.

"How are you holdin' up sugar?" Char asked in a tone too quiet for the hikers to pick up

I just nodded at her, not wanting to open my mouth just yet. The hikers continued on their way, talking about the previous day's ballgame, not knowing just how narrowly they'd dodged their deaths.

I remained frozen on the branch I was crouched upon. Char waited patiently, just watching me. After a few moments the wind shifted again and Char spoke. "You should do okay now." I took a small breath to test and then let my lungs fill. There was still a faint hint of their aroma in the air, but it was definitely manageable. "You did it," Char said softly, and I could feel how proud she as of me. She smiled sweetly at me.

"I did, didn't I?" I grinned at her and kissed her cheek. Then I took her hand. "Shall we?" I asked. She nodded and we leaped down to the ground. I hugged her and as we drew away from each other, I was taken aback by a wave of worry and panic, the source of which was rapidly approaching. Jasper.

**Jasper**  
Peter and I set out to catch up with Bella and Char, but I was surprised that their scent headed in a different direction than their typical route. As we followed their trail, the breeze shifted and we caught a scent that was unmistakably human. "Shit!" I took off at a full run with a strangely silent Peter on my heels. God I hope we're not too late.

We caught up to Bella and Char… hugging? "We need to go!" I urged. Two sets of eyes, one red, one a murky orange, snapped to my face and I felt a surge of annoyance. "Bella, I ain't kiddin' we need to go. There's humans out here today."

She gasped mockingly, throwing her palms to her cheeks. "Oh no! Not humans!" she wailed and her eyes slid toward Char, who giggled.

"We already saw 'em sugar."

"And they're still alive?" I asked. I looked over at Peter, who was grinning at Bella. She grinned back at him, though neither said a word. Fuck that shit. "What the fuck is going on?"

She looked at me and the grin faltered. With a roll of her eyes she sighed. "Yeah, so hey! No dead bodies. Think you might owe me an apology?" Bella cocked her eyebrow at me.

I met her gaze, and then I nodded, my shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah, darlin' I guess I do. I'm sorry I doubted you. But how did you resist? How close did they get?" She explained what had taken place and I had to admit I was fuckin' impressed. The fact the humans passed beneath her and lived to continue upon their way just blew my fuckin' mind. She fought the burn, the desire, and, to her smug satisfaction, she proved me wrong. In this case, I was more than fine with being wrong.

A couple days later we were granted with an overcast day, so we dressed the way a group of friends out for a hike would dress and we headed to the trails frequented by local humans. Bella and I went for a quick hunt before going, making sure her thirst was sated. There were a couple of cars in the parking area at the entry for the trails, and sure enough, partway up the trail we decided to try, we crossed paths with one rather friendly guy who stopped to chat with us for a moment. I could feel Bella's thirst as it engulfed her. She gripped my hand appearing to anyone to be an affectionate gesture, when in reality it was all I could do to not cry out because with her newborn strength, her grip was fuckin' killing my hand. She worked to calm herself as she stood not ten feet away from the man, and I heard her swallow back her venom numerous times. Still, any other vampire as young as her would've either killed the man, or would've had to be pulled away thrashing and fighting the whole way. The man finally continued on his way, and Bella exhaled shakily.

"Good job, Darlin', I'm proud of you," I said to her, pulling her tight to me and kissing her forehead.

"Thanks Jazz. Now help me find something on four legs ASAFP."

After several more hikes without incident, we decided to go to take a trip to one of the local small towns. There was a county-wide flea market going on in there, and the girls wanted to go check it out.

"You sure you're ready for this, sweetheart?" I asked her as she dressed casually in jeans, a long sleeve tee and a pair of 'Fuggs'. She hated when I called them that, but goddamn I hated those boots. I preferred my gal in cowboy boots.

She glared at me and then threw on a black newsboy cap over her wavy locks. "Are we really gonna do this shit again, Jasper?"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Just askin'."

The six of us loaded up in Peter and Char's Tahoe, not wanting to garner more attention than we were already going to by showing up in Emmett's glossy black Escalade. These were simple country folk in the town we were going to. We made an effort in trying to blend in; even Rose tried to tone it down a little, and dressed very similarly to Bella.

We found a place to park in the vacant lot that was the designated parking for the flea market. I felt Bella calming herself; even inside the Tahoe we could smell the humans. I took her hand and looked her in the eye.

"The first sign you feel you're going to lose control, you let me know. Do you understand? This is serious. We're not in the woods; there will be hundreds of eye witnesses if you lose control and we can't have that." She nodded. I was surprised that she didn't take issue with the tone I was using with her. I wasn't fucking around, maybe she knew that. "Besides the smell of their blood, you've also got the emotional atmosphere to deal with too. You're gonna feel it all. If you start to feel overwhelmed, you need to let me know. Becoming overwhelmed will counteract your ability to control your bloodlust. Are you clear on this?"

"Yes." I felt her throw out one more wave of calm.

"Easy on that Stella, you tryin' to put us to sleep?" Peter chuckled.

"Oh, right, sorry. Guess I'm a little nervous," she said.

"You'll do fine," I assured her and then leaned in to kiss her as I doused her with my love and support for her. She smiled against my lips and allowed me to feel her love and gratitude in return.

"Fuck, you guys, get a room," Rose snarked as the others began opening their doors and getting out.

Bella and I worked our way out of the third row seat into the fresh air, which was laden with the scent of a couple hundred humans milling about. Bella inhaled sharply and froze. "You ok?" I asked her.

She nodded and held up one finger to give her a minute. She swallowed and then took a few more short breaths. "I'm okay," she finally said. "I can do this. Let's go check out the sights."

As we neared the throngs gathered around various tables and booths, I heard her quietly mutter, "Fuck, it's like a mall food court." I chuckled and squeezed her hand. She was feeling thirsty, but managing it very well.

Curiosity at our presence spiked as we walked amongst the masses. Most of the humans present at this flea market were local folk and even if one didn't know another personally, they were at least recognizable or familiar. We, of course, did not fall into this category. And so they stared. "So this is what it's like to be one of the beautiful people huh?" Bella asked me quietly and at vampire speed.

"Welcome to the club," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist. Even now that she was mine for eternity, I couldn't help but put the message out that this gorgeous creature walking beside me was very much taken. Her eyes met mine and they told me she knew what I was doing; her emotions said that she didn't mind.

We stopped at a booth that was hawking handmade sterling silver jewelry. As the girls admired the wares before them, their own wares were being admired by some men lounging in a nearby beer garden. A few were lewdly whispering about the girls amongst themselves. We could hear every word of course, and Peter, Emmett, and I fought the jealousy these types of remarks always brought out in us. We were used to it, but it didn't make it any easier.

"_Do you see the legs on that tall blonde? Damn she could put me in a scissor hold anytime, I sure wouldn't complain!"_

"_Mmm, naw man. Now that other blonde with the big titties? I'd like that one to take a ride, preferably on my face."_

The men cackled and high-fived each other. Rosalie quietly growled and Emmett wrapped his arm around her, his hand stroking up and down her arm in a soothing motion. "Easy, Babe."

"_You guys can have the blondes. I'm fixin' to be balls deep in that brunette. In that mouth or her pussy, either one will work for me. Fuck me…"_

The man whistled at her. I growled below my breath as Bella quietly hissed; we both could feel his lust growing as he continued to entertain thoughts about my wife. I squeezed her hand and pushed some calm out. "Ignore them, darlin'. If nothin' else this is good practice." Her face was a steely stare and her jaw was clenched as she worked to control her rage.

The men continued in their graphic discussion as Bella completed her purchase of a bracelet she'd chosen, and then we moved along to the next booth. Just as Bella's admirer began to simulate an imaginary head, her head, bobbing in his lap, Bella suddenly jumped and squealed, "Oh a bee!" and swatted her hand in front of her in a shooing motion. Her drunken admirer was unexpectedly flung backward in his chair, landing on his back, and his head hit the ground with an audible thud. His buddies jumped out of their chairs to tend to him.

Bella smirked as she watched the scene unfold. "Suck on that, you fucking nut chuck," she muttered.

Peter started to laugh and Emmett gave Bella a subtle fist bump. "Nicely done Lil Sis; that was awesome."

I wrapped my arms around her from behind and kissed her behind her ear. "I love you," I whispered.

"I know," she whispered back.

We spent a few more hours at the flea market without much incident. Peter found some antique tools to add to his collection, while Bella, Rose, and Char selected some quilts. Emmett found a bearskin rug, much to Rose's chagrin. "Sorry Babe, I gotta have it."

Bella and I paused by a table full of books, and as I perused the titles, she found herself battling her own bout of jealousy while a pair of ladies in their thirties were giving me a very thorough once over. "Easy now, darlin'," I quietly admonished when she growled, albeit too low for the women to hear. "Do I need to calm you?"

"_No you don't fucking need to calm me,"_ she hissed. _"Now will you pick out something already before these bitches get thrown?"_

I handed the tomes I'd selected to the elderly woman manning the table and a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change, ma'am," I said, smiling my lazy grin at her.

"Oh, my!" She blushed as she took the money from my hands. "Well, thank you young man. You young'uns have a good day now."

We loaded our finds in the Tahoe and began the trek back to the cabin. Rose and Bella took off into the woods when we arrived so Bella could hunt. While she was successful in controlling her thirst in public, she very much needed to take care of the burn in her throat.

They returned about forty-five minutes later. Bella's eyes hadn't quite reached our golden hue, but they were a gorgeous amber tone. She approached me in the living room where I was thumbing through one of the books I'd purchased at the market. "Come with me."

She took my hand and I followed her to our room. Bella closed the door behind me. "What's wrong?" I asked and then her mouth was on mine. I was encompassed in a blanket of her love and desire for me. Her mouth moved slowly, tenderly, and when I opened to her, her tongue grazed mine with the most sensual of strokes. When she drew back to begin pulling my shirt up over my head I asked her what brought this on. "Not that I'm complainin', of course," I added.

She leaned forward and started kissing my scars, her eyes upon mine, and my second-in-command was immediately at attention. She was so fucking sexy right now. "We are celebrating my first, and rather successful, outing to town amongst the humans. Thank you for believing in me today; for allowing me to experience and control my struggle without interference. Today I truly felt like I'm finally your equal and I can feel your pride and your love for me. Besides, this is so much better than fighting." Her tongue flicked over my nipple, causing me to hiss.

"Never doubt you are my equal Bella Whitlock." I threaded my fingers through her hair and pulled her face up to mine, crashing my lips upon hers. I cupped my hands around her ass and lifted her up to move us to our bed, falling upon her on the mattress. I reached for the hem of her shirt and she stopped me.

"Huh-uh. As your equal partner, I'm running this particular show." And in a flash she flipped us so that I was on my back with her straddling me.

"Yes ma'am." I grinned up at her as she yanked her top off over her head. No bra, thank you Jesus. I reached up to palm her creamy white mounds, stroking my thumbs across their peaks.

"Mmm, wait. Still too many clothes," she moaned, and then stood on the bed to shimmy down her jeans and panties, and kicked them across the room. She then bent over at the waist, and began to unbutton my jeans. Her hair tickled me as it grazed my stomach from her upside down head. My erection sprang forth as she moved my jeans down my legs.

"Well I see you're already standing at attention Major. I guess you're ready for inspection now, aren't you?" she purred, and then kneeled between my legs. My eyes rolled back in my head as she slid her mouth down my entire length. One of the best things to come along with her change: no more gag reflex.

I wrapped a fistful of her hair around my hand and began moving my hips in time with her motions, thrusting into her mouth. "Ugh, Bella, so good," I groaned. She moved her hand to stroke my sack and then ventured one finger back further to stroke my puckered entrance. _Holy shit!_ I thrust upwards violently. Thank god she's a vampire because that probably would've killed her as a human. _"Fuck Bella!" _I could hear crashes and moans from other areas of the house, and knew that at least I, if not the both of us, were projecting all kinds of lusty shit, but I could give a fuck because I'd never felt so good.

Her lips turned up into a smile as they continued to move up and down my length. With one hand she tugged on my sack and just as I was about to release, her fingertip slid into my hole causing me to come harder than I ever had in my entire existence. "Motherfuck ME!" I roared incoherently as she greedily swallowed every last drop. She sat up looking mighty fucking proud of herself, and then in a flash she slid her dripping wet center down upon me.

"I ain't finished with you yet Major," she said and began moving her hips in the most delightful of ways. She threw her head back and moaned, quickening her movements, sliding up and down. It was all I could take. I sat up, gripped her hips and moved her on me with force, filling her as deeply as I could with every thrust. This time it was her eyes that rolled back in her head. "Oh God, Jasper, I'm so close." I sat up on my knees with her legs wrapped around my waist and slammed into her as her body started to clench around me. She cried out my name as the trembles overtook her body and I released yet again. We fell to our sides on the mattress, our bodies still connected.

"Fuck, Bella," I gasped. "You're gonna be the death of me."

"You're already dead, Jazz."

I chuckled. "Well that's a fuckin' relief, 'cause I'd hate to die and miss out on gettin' to do that again. No one's ever turned me into a pile of quivering jelly quite like you darlin'." I kissed her neck. "That was phenomenal."

"And no one else ever will, Whitlock. Now let me know when you're ready for more."

I opened my mouth to speak, but four other voices beat me to it: "We're ready."

We looked at each other, and then she shrugged, threaded her fingers through my hair and crashed her mouth to mine once again.

**A/N: I must give credit to Mynxi for "nut chuck". After I heard her use the phrase, it needed to be preserved in fanfic infamy just fucking because.**


	40. Chapter 40

Been a day-long effort, but we are in the home stretch, one chap to go! Sooner I get all this older stuff up, the sooner I can post the newer stuff!

Beta'd by the beta-wife Mynxi, love her to bits!

SM's characters, only significantly more badass.

**Bella**  
We got through the summer at the cabin, having taken several more trips to town following the flea market. We even took a road trip to Roanoke just to get the fuck off the mountain and into civilization for a while. We did some shopping there, since my newborn strength, and hormones, had wreaked havoc on my wardrobe. Much like when we were at the flea market, being around the throngs of people ignited my bloodlust but not to a point where I couldn't control it. The flux of emotions swirling around me was a little difficult, but again, I managed and as a reward I got some sweet new gear for my new body. My body had changed some when I was turned; my legs were a little longer than they previously were, and my bust was fuller. In truth, my body now rivaled Rosalie's, which I tried not to feel too smug about. And it wasn't like Char wasn't all that either. The three of us together out and about definitely made people sit up and take notice. I had to admit I was digging being one of the beautiful people.

Back on the mountain, Jasper also made a point of working on my fighting technique. In case the impending doom that was Edward's wedding involved a fight, he wanted me to be able to protect myself with my hands as well as with my mind. He, Peter, and Emmett would run drills with me fighting one, two, and three of them at a time. I wasn't supposed to 'cheat' and use my manipulation powers but sometimes it happened without me even thinking about it. I suppose that was ok, Jasper just didn't want me to rely on my talents alone because there could always be a chance that it could fail me.

As we got into September, we decided to head back to Boston. Jasper was now convinced that my control was good enough to be around the general public, albeit in supervised and limited intervals. I was just glad to get back amongst civilization, because that country-livin' shit is not my cuppa. We arrived back at our Boston home on what would've been my 24th birthday, which worked out to be the best birthday present in and of itself. It was fucking awesome to be back; I hadn't realized how much that house had become home to me until we walked back through the door.

I managed to enroll in a few online courses before the cut-off date, as well as a couple of night classes on campus. Jasper, Emmett, and Peter enrolled in those classes with me, just in case, but after the first week back it was apparent I was going to be able to control myself. I won't lie; my throat burned like a motherfucker whenever I was in that warm, barely ventilated classroom, making the scent of their blood that much more enticing, but I learned how to focus on the professor and distract myself from their blood.

And really, reason number fifty-one why being a vampire kicked ass? Fucking photographic memory. While I realized there would be instances that total recall was not going to be a good thing, for school it fucking rocked. I remembered all those hours I'd spent studying in the winter and spring semesters, pissed at how my vampire cohorts never had to study. Now I could remember everything the professor said, read the assigned chapters, hell the textbook, in no time, and the homework was a breeze.

I'd been worried at first that there would be people that recognized me from previous classes, who would know there was something significantly different about me. However, dressed in long sleeves and wearing a little more makeup with tinted foundation, I found I could pass for having had "a little work done".

Char and Rose snooped around a little when classes first started to see what the word was on campus about James and Demetri. They were still considered missing and the police had no suspects and no evidence of foul play. The trail was considered cold at this point, so we were in the clear.

As the weeks passed and September became October, Edward and Tanya's wedding date drew near. Carlisle was anxious about my making the trek across the country on a typical passenger airplane, so he arranged for a private jet to take the seven of us to Alaska. Esme had already flown to Alaska to help with wedding preparations so Carlisle was going to travel with us. Should be interesting.

Before we left for Alaska, Emmett, Rose, Jasper and I took an overnight trip to Beartown State Park to make sure I was well-fed for the trip over. By dawn, Jazz and I had each bagged a bear and then knocked down a couple of trees in a post-hunt celebratory fuck. Crashes in another area of the woods suggested that Rose and Emmett followed suit.

Carlisle was waiting for us at the house when we returned. "Ah, there you are!" He stood to greet us as we entered the family room. Jasper and Emmett each greeted him with the half-handshake half-man-hug thing that men do, and then he kissed Rose and me each on the cheek. He lingered a bit longer on my cheek than he had with Rose and I felt his desire ignite briefly before he stifled that shit. At least he was learning. He stepped away from me with an embarrassed smile and then looked around to the others. "I hope you all are packed. Our flight leaves in two hours; we should be leaving soon."

"We finished packing yesterday," Rose informed him. "I think we probably need to clean ourselves up and then we'll be ready to go."

"Yeah, give us about half an hour Carlisle, then we'll be ready to roll," Emmett said in agreement.

The four of us headed off to our rooms to shower and get changed. Jasper joined me in the shower, softly kissing my neck as he helped me soap up. "So this wedding's supposed to be some kind of big deal; any guess why that is?"

I sighed. "Fuck if I know. I'm really kind of over this whole 'ominous wedding' bullshit, for real. If I felt like I could justifiably get out of it at this point, I totally would."

"Well, I'll be with you every step of the way, sweetheart, whatever you choose to do." He nuzzled behind my ear, and I felt his tongue trace down my neck.

"Mmm, baby as much as I want to continue with this, we need to get going."

He stepped away with a sigh. "Yeah, you're probably right."

We finished our shower and dressed. I went for comfort in yoga pants, a long-sleeve tee, and my Sketchers tennis shoes. Jasper pulled on his worn Levi's, a tee shirt, and topped it with a flannel shirt he left unbuttoned, and yanked his grey wool beanie on over his tousled, somewhat damp blond curls. He looked sexy as hell in a grungy roughneck sort of way, and it was not helping my self-control at all. He chuckled as my eyes hungrily raked him up and down. "Yeah darlin', I feel the same way about them snug yoga britches you've got on. C'mon, let's get goin'."

Apparently, Carlisle felt the same way about my snug yoga britches, judging from the way his lust rose when I bent over to pick up my bag. I turned to glare at him before I stood upright. He gulped and quickly looked away guiltily, and then regained his composure. "Er, I think I will go ahead and drive my own car to the airport," he said calmly.

"That's a good idea," Jasper responded just as calmly.

I smiled at Carlisle. "See you at the airport, Daddy C."

Carlisle had arranged a small jet to take us, declining the option of having an attendant for the flight. The only humans on board were the pilot and co-pilot who were sealed away in the cockpit. The recirculation of the air in the cabin kept their aroma wafting to me fairly regularly, but it was manageable. I realized I probably would've had a much more difficult time on a standard passenger airliner.

"Good call on the private jet, Daddy C," I said to Carlisle, who was seated kitty-corner to us across the aisle, working his way through the Wall Street Journal.

"Of course, Bella, my dear. I'd prefer you were comfortable and not having to struggle for the entire trip."

I smiled at him in sincere appreciation, and that's when it hit me.

"Ah, fuck," Peter muttered.

**Jasper**  
Bella jolted next to me suddenly, oddly reminding me of that dude on that "Dead Zone" flick when he'd see things. "Ah, fuck," I heard Peter mutter in the seat behind us.

"Bella darlin', are you ok?" I asked her anxiously.

She ignored me and looked directly at Carlisle. "The Volturi, Carlisle? Why the fuck were they invited?"

"Shh, Bella, calm down," Carlisle ignorantly tried to soothe her, not knowing that shit just pissed her off more. "Of course we invited them. Eleazar - Tanya's 'father' - and I used to be affiliated with them, you know. Eleazar was a member of the guard long ago. The joining of the Cullen and Denali covens in marriage is sort of a big deal, Bella. We couldn't _not_ invite them; they'd be offended."

"Well I hate to break this to you Daddy C, but they're fucking offended anyway. We're too large now, and they're planning on thinning us out," she informed him. _This__ is what Peter and I are supposed to be there to deal with? The fucking Volturi? Give me a fucking break!_

"No!" Carlisle gasped. "Why would they? We're peaceful people; we don't seek out power. You must be mistaken, Bella."

Peter chimed in. "Think about it Carlisle; think about just how much talent lies between the two covens. Y'all are powerful enough without even having to seek it out. The Volturi is taking the joining of the two as an implied threat, and callin' it justification to come deal with it."

Emmett slammed a fist into his palm. "Let 'em bring it then! We can take 'em!"

Rose sighed in exasperation. "Have you forgotten the kind of talent they have on _their_ side? There's Jane, that creepy little bitch that can inflict pain without even moving a finger, and I'm pretty sure her brother Alec has abilities of some kind too. Then there's Renata, Aro's personal shield. Plus, if they're truly coming to take care of business like Peter and Bella are saying, they're likely to bring more of their guard with them. Battling with the Volturi is no cakewalk, Emmett."

I sat up in my chair, my mind already starting to go over strategy. "I couldn't have stated that better myself, sis."

She smiled at me. "Believe it or not, I am paying attention when I appear to be just doing my nails."

I smiled back at her and then looked around at the others before addressing Carlisle. "She's right, they will probably bring help with them. We need to be prepared for a real battle."

Carlisle shook his head stubbornly. "It's a wedding, for God's sake. Why would they do this at a wedding?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Where better to find all of your adversaries in one location?" This got through to him, and he lowered his eyes and nodded in acceptance. "I'm sorry Carlisle, but we need to be ready."

Much of the rest of the flight was spent going over potential scenarios we may face in dealing with the Volturi. Dusk was falling as our plane landed and taxied into the terminal in Anchorage. We disembarked, gathered our belongings, and headed for the car rental counters. The seven of us froze in our tracks when we saw the figure waiting for us rather impatiently near the Hertz counter.

"Hey guys," Alice greeted us shyly. "You didn't think I'd let you battle the Volturi without me, did you?"

Carlisle, Rose, and Emmett went to her first, enveloping her in hugs and kisses. Her departure from the family had affected them nearly as much as it had affected me. After they hugged her, she stepped slowly toward Bella and me, hesitating in her uncertainty of how we would receive her, and then relaxing when she determined it would be ok. "I hope you don't mind that I came," she said. "I want to help in whatever way that I can."

Bella hugged her first. "Thank you for coming, Alice." The two reunited friends held each other for a moment before Alice stepped away to examine Bella at arm's length. "Can I just say you look fabulous Bella? I knew you'd be stunning once you were one of us. Of course your wardrobe still leaves something to be desired," she trailed off, eyeballing Bella's attire with disdain.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Don't push it Pixie. I am quite comfortable dressed this way, and I have it on good authority that Jasper happens to love these sweat pants." She glanced at me with a wicked gleam in her eye. "So don't even think of trying to pull the Bella Barbie bullshit."

Alice nodded and smiled at her apologetically before turning her gaze to me. "Jasper," she began, but I knew where she was heading, what with the apology her emotions were already emitting.

I held up my hand. "Alice, you don't need to do this. I understand now, obviously." I wound my arm around Bella's waist and pulled her close to me, smiling down at her before returning my attention back to Alice. "While I gotta say the manner in which you left me was entirely fucked up, I can now honestly say that I understand, and I forgive you."

She threw her arms around my waist. "Thank you Jazz," she whispered. She pulled away and looked at Bella and me. "I'm so happy for you guys, you two are amazing together."

"Thanks, Alice," Bella said with a wry laugh. "I'm inclined to agree."

Alice grinned and then addressed the lot of us. "Well I've taken the liberty of renting a van to get us all to the Denali house. Are you guys ready to go?"

We carried our things out to the van. Peter helped Emmett load things in, while Bella, Char, Rose, and Alice got in and began to talk seemingly all at once. We joined them once the van was loaded, with Peter edging around Alice to sit on the other side of Char. "Peter," Alice acknowledged him with a polite yet cool greeting.

"Pocket Bitch," Peter responded with a nod, in a similar tone. Those two were never fond of each other, and I never could figure out why. Bella, however, wasn't having it.

"Petey, be nice!" she admonished, as Alice stuck her tongue out at him. "We've got some serious shit to deal with and we all need to be on the same team for this. Try to act like a fucking grownup, would you?"

"Sorry, Stella," Peter muttered.

"Don't apologize to me, Peter," Bella said expectantly.

He sighed. "Sorry, Alice."

Alice beamed. "Bella, I can't believe the effect you've had on these two," she said, indicating to me and Peter. "I can't wait to see what else you're capable of."

"So does anyone else know what's going on with the Volturi?" Bella asked her.

Alice nodded. "I arrived earlier today, and Edward picked it out of my head almost immediately. I wasn't going to try to hide it from him." A peculiar look crossed her face, and before I could get a read on her emotions as to what that was about, she continued. "He's freaking out of course, wanting to cancel the wedding, but I told him they were already on their way, wedding or no wedding. Some of the invited guests have canceled or decided to leave, but many have decided to stay, to witness if nothing else."

"Well that saves us time in explaining shit to people," I said. We started to fill her in on what we'd come up with so far as a plan, but she waved it off.

"I already know, and I think you've got the right idea. The main thing is to keep Bella from direct physical attack. As long as she's able to do her thing, we'll be victorious."

Bella's eyes grew wide at this, and Alice rolled hers. "As if you didn't know you were going to be a key player in this Bella. I mean really; you're the most powerful of us all. You're going to be their prime target; Aro seeks to either collect you or destroy you."

I growled at this. "Over my fucking pile of ashes!"

Bella took my hand. "Easy, Major. Level head right now, ok?"

Alice's eyebrows rose at this. She'd never been comfortable with me when the Major took over; clearly Bella was. But I wasn't so ready to be level headed yet, not when there was threat of harm coming to Bella. "No one's touching you," I said to her levelly. "I will destroy anyone who attempts to do so."

Bella looked at me in the eye, her golden eyes meeting my gaze. "The feeling's mutual Major," she stated quietly. "I got this."

In that moment, what I'd been suspecting of my mate was confirmed: she was a fucking warrior, and on the battlefield, she and I were gonna be a force to be reckoned with.

**Bella**  
We arrived at the Denali home amid what was nothing short of chaos. In one area, wedding preparations were underway; lights were being hung, flowers were everywhere, and the finishing touches were being made on a gazebo under Esme's supervision. In another area, on a vast section of the enormous lawn, groups of vampires were going through what appeared to be drills, sparring in a mock battle situation.

As Carlisle parked the van, a medium height vampire with a lean physique, olive colored skin, and dark brown curly hair came forward to meet us. Alice hopped out of the van and into his embrace, kissing him full on the mouth. She turned back to us as we unloaded from the van. "Everyone, this is Sebastien. Sebastien, this is Jasper, Bella, Rose, Emmett, Peter, Charlotte, and Carlisle." She pointed each of us out as she named us. Jasper stepped forward first to shake his hand. I could feel Sebastien's nervousness at this, even a little fear, as Jasper approached him. Other than being Alice's ex, I knew that many found Jasper's scars something to be intimidated by; his reputation of being one scary fucking badass on the battlefield only magnified this. I did the guy a solid and threw a little calm his way. Jasper didn't seem like he was going to do so, and for that matter I thought he was taking a perverse pleasure in Sebastien's discomfort.

Sebastien gulped and then sighed as the calm hit him. He cleared his throat, taking Jasper's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Jasper. Alice has said wonderful things about you," he said politely in a thick French accent.

"Nice to meet you too, Sebastien. Too bad it isn't under happier circumstances," Jasper replied.

"Oui, it would 'ave been 'appier, if it were not for ze impending arrival of our esteemed guests, no?" Sebastien acknowledged a little regretfully. He then turned to me and I offered my hand. "Enchanté, Bella. I 'ave 'eard many great things about you as well."

"Well thank you, Sebastien, you're too kind. And we're gonna get through this fine, don't you worry." I looked around at the many vampires running around, not seeing the face I needed to see. "Have you seen Edward?"

Sebastien nodded. "Oui. He's inside ze 'ouse, where Tanya is trying to convince 'im not to cancel ze wedding."

"Sounds like Edward," I sighed. I looked at Jasper. "I'm going to go talk to him. Maybe you can catch up with those folks over there and get them up to speed on the situation." I gestured toward the group of vamps running drills. "They look like they could use some direction. Peter, can you assist?" I wasn't sure why I was taking the fuck over within minutes of arriving here, but it felt right so I went with it.

Jasper studied my face for a minute, also seeming to wonder who put me in charge, and whether he should challenge it. But then he smirked, and I felt his love and desire for me. Wait, desire? He kissed my cheek. "You have no idea how fuckin' sexy you are in _Major mode_, darlin'. Talk to you later." He turned on his heel and strode toward the sparring group gathered across the field. Peter followed him, sparing a quick glance over his shoulder to give me a wink. I could hear the other vampires as they saw who was headed their way.

"_Holy shit, it's Major Whitlock!"_

"_Yeah, looks like he's got Peter with him too. Looks like shit's 'bout to get serious."_

Those fuckers had no idea.

Rose and Char followed Alice to go offer their assistance to Esme, who was eying some lattice work on the gazebo. I headed for the house.

I could feel frustration and angst as I entered the house, following the arguing voices into the huge family room. Edward sat with his elbows on his knees; head down with his fingers raking through his hair. Clearly, I'd found the source of angst. Tanya was pacing with her jaw clenched and murder in her eyes, until she saw me enter the room. "Bella!" she squealed and flew to me. Edward's head snapped up. "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're here!" she cried.

I hugged her back and kissed her cheek. "I wouldn't have missed it," I said in her ear. She pulled back and looked me over.

"Wow. I mean, just _wow_, Bella! You were beautiful before, but now you're, you're-" she struggled to find the right word.

"Magnificent," Edward finished for her. He rose and crossed the room toward me, his eyes locked on mine. I could feel his longing, and the love he had for me that continued to linger. I also felt Tanya's hurt and disappointment in Edward's behavior. Her thoughts must have given her away, because his eyes went back to her. "How have I been so lucky to have loved, and been loved by two of the most exquisite creatures on this earth?" He kissed her on the mouth lovingly. _Fucking smooth, Eddie-boy,_ I thought to myself. I can't believe I used to fall for this bullshit. He turned back to me, and looked at me thoughtfully; I wondered briefly if he could hear me now.

"Still silent to me as always," he said with a sigh. I smiled at him. Good. "You shouldn't be here, lo- Bella. It's far too dangerous.

I snorted and plopped down on the couch. Is he fucking serious?

"News flash, Edward. I'm a vampire now. I can handle dangerous." I looked at Tanya, like _Can you believe this guy?_ She just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Edward sighed, and pinched his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Yes that's true, but you're just a newborn Bella, and this is the Volturi we're talking about. They don't mess around. I'm not sure what you think you'll be able to do, I mean I heard that you've got these new abilities, and that's fine and all, but…"

I decided it was time to shut that fucker up. I held my hand up, palm facing out toward Edward, and I brought my index finger down to my thumb in a pinching motion. Edward's lips suddenly came together and he was unable to open them. He froze and his eyes grew wide in shock. I then raised my other hand, waved it to one side, directing Edward to the nearest chair, and then flapped my four fingers down to my palm, forcing him to sit. Tanya gasped and then clapped her hand over her mouth in a surprised giggle. "Holy shit!" she cried. I ignored her and leaned forward to look Edward in the eye, my fingers still keeping his mouth shut.

"Now that I have your undivided attention," I said to him quietly, "let me reiterate my previous statement. I am a vampire now, Edward. I am a vampire who happens to be able to do some very cool shit. I can handle dangerous. So here's the thing, former love of mine. I'm staying, and I'm fighting. And you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, are going to quit fucking crying like a bitch and get in the frame of mind we need you to be in to kick some Volturi ass. M'kay? Can you do that for me?"

He nodded, his eyes still wide. I released my fingers, freeing his lips once again. "Wow," he said, staring at me in awe. "That's incredible." He felt his lips with his fingers, testing them to be sure.

"Tanya, do you love Edward?" I asked her. She was surprised by my attention suddenly being on her, but she answered quickly and honestly.

"Of course I do, with all of my heart. And even if I were to be burned tomorrow, I'd proudly go to my end as Mrs. Edward Cullen."

Edward's eyes softened as she said those words. He looked at Tanya. "You won't die tomorrow, love. I won't allow it."

I asked Edward the same question I'd posed to Tanya. "Do you love her Edward?"

I could tell it was difficult for him to answer the question when it was me asking it. He wasn't over me, not completely, and everyone in this room knew this. "Yes Bella, I love her. Very much so," and as he said it, I could feel the romantic love he held for Tanya. Perhaps he did love her, at least enough for them to make a go of this.

"Good, then that settles it. You're not canceling the wedding. You two are getting married tomorrow, we're gonna fuck up some Volturi, and then you two are gonna go on a nice little honeymoon and start your life together. Sound good?"

"How can you sound so sure of this Bella?" Tanya asked.

I shrugged. "I just am. Now how about we go out in the yard and learn some super cool fighting moves from Jasper?" I could feel Edward's hesitation as Tanya got up to follow me out. "What Edward?" I asked warily.

"I'm not so sure I like the idea of Tanya fighting. I mean obviously you can take care of yourself, but..."

I sighed and flicked my hand at him, knocking him over backward in his chair. Really, it was so awesome that he couldn't read my mind; I was the only one who could catch him off guard like that. "Get over yourself, Edward. Come on Tanya, I've gotten a couple of new moves Jazz showed me when we are in the mountains that you should try out. See you outside Edward," I called over my shoulder as we headed out the door.

As we stepped from the porch, Alice flew up to us. "Jeebus, Tink! Slow down, where's the fire?"

"It'll be here in about three hours," she answered solemnly. "They've decided to come early."


	41. Chapter 41

Here it is folks, end of the line, for this fic anyway. If it's your first read, I hope I haven't disappointed, and I hope that you'll come along for the ride on "Bella Whitlock, HBIC", the sequel to this story. Several chapters of that story are already written; I'll probably start posting those tomorrow. For those of you re-reading, thanks again for experiencing the fuckery yet again, and for all your kind words whether in review or PM. Y'all are the bomb.

Beta'd by my beta-wife, Mynxi. Thanks BB!

SM characters, my fuckery. Oh and the "God of War" term belongs to Idreamofeddy. Gotta give props where props are due.

**Jasper**  
Peter and I were in the middle of demonstrating quick head-removal methods when I heard Rose call my name. She ran from the gazebo where we were on the field, very obviously upset about something.

"What's wrong? Is it Bella?"

She shook her head. "No, Alice had a vision. They're already on their way. We've got three hours."

_Son of a bitch!_ "Has someone told Bella?"

"Alice went to get her."

Just then I looked over Rose's shoulder and saw Bella headed toward us. Alice and Tanya were flanking her sides, with Edward on the other side of Tanya. Edward still looked worried, but his resolve was apparent. Tanya was anxious, but equally as resolved as Edward to get to work. Alice's eyes were on Bella and she was radiating pride. Perhaps it had to do with a vision, but as my eyes took in Bella, I couldn't help but share in that pride myself because damn, my gal was lookin' fuckin' _fierce._ Fury and determination consumed her being, and in the light of the full moon, it was as if she were glowing. If I'm referred by some as the God of War, then surely this magnificent creature approaching us was the Goddess of Wrath.

The crowd went silent as I stepped up to her, kissed her cheek and turned to face them as she began to speak. "As you may or may not have heard, the Volturi have decided to show up ahead of schedule. I'm pretty fucking sure we can take this group of assholes, but I need to know right now if there any among you that have any doubt in our ability to do this shit? Because this is not the time for numbfucks who will panic and get in the way. So if this applies to you: well, thanks for coming, now go the fuck home. Leave your wedding gift on the porch as you pass by, we'll make sure Edward and Tanya get it." Edward's fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.

She paused and, after a moment, three random vampires who I'd never met before stepped forward sheepishly. "Good luck," one whispered, and they hurried toward the house.

Bella scowled at their retreating backs and then turned to address the crowd once again. "Ok, there's three pussies down; anybody else?"

Silence.

"Good. We have just over two and a half hours to go; let's use this time wisely, shall we?"

Eyes turned to me, waiting for confirmation. "What the fuck are you staring at me for? Y'all got another Major to answer to, in case you couldn't tell, and I can promise you she ain't fucking around. I suggest you do what she says."

Many wisely did just that, regrouping to work on drills and strategies, but there was a small pod of stragglers who stood in place, looking at her questioningly and muttering amongst themselves. "Who the hell is _she_ anyway?"

Bella's head snapped in their direction and she was in front of them in a heartbeat. "I'll tell you _who_ I am. I'm the bitch who's trying to make sure her family and friends aren't exterminated by these Volturi sons of bitches today, and right now I'm the bitch who's wondering why the fuck you're still standing here. _Now move your fucking asses!_" she hissed. Her rage flared and even though she didn't lift a finger, the three were thrown back as though they were shoved. Fuck me.

They landed not far from Peter's feet. He bent over and said, "That's Mrs. Jasper Whitlock y'all just pissed off. Normally she answers to Bella, but if I were you, I'd stick to 'ma'am' for a while."

I walked to where Bella still stood, trying to calm her self. I gave her minute. Finally she sighed and I felt her relax a little. "Anyone ever tell you that you were fuckin' born to do this?" I asked her quietly as we watched Peter and Emmett guiding our friends and family through drills.

She chuckled. "No, but the crazy fucking thing is that I know _exactly_ what the hell I'm doing. It's like instinct or something."

"Yeah, it really is." I took her hand. "I'm so proud of you, Darlin', and I'm proud to be the husband and mate of such an incredible being." I stepped in front of her so that I was facing her. "I love you Bella, so very much." I touched my lips to hers and we briefly forgot about all the training and chaos going on around us. As our kiss deepened, our souls reconnected and we joined, mind and body, as one. And when the kiss ended, we stared in each other's eyes, and knew we were ready for this.

"Are you ready to throw your shit into that mix?" I asked indicating my head toward the on-going practice sessions. The other vampires need to see and know what Bella's capabilities were, and what she'd be contributing to this battle besides a nice ass and a dirty mouth.

"Yep, let's do this." She strode toward the sparring masses.

**Bella**  
The sky was just beginning to show traces of light from the East when we heard them approaching. I'm not sure what I expected, maybe a death march or something, but it sure wasn't the nine car motorcade that pulled up the drive. A long stretch limo was led and followed by four Lincoln Towncars on each end. What are they the vampire Mafioso or something?

The goons in the Towncars got out and lined up in front of the vehicles, while a larger one went to open the rear door of the limo. All were in dark, three-piece suits that looked very expensive. I glanced down at my own attire, grateful I'd decided to listen to Alice and take ten minutes to change my clothes. Not that my True Religion jeans, Ed Hardy tee-shirt and my Harley Davidson biker boots were the all that classy but I was more comfortable than I would've been in my yoga pants that said "Juicy" across the ass and my lime green sneakers. I looked ready to kick some ass, and that was a good thing.

The taller goon opened the limo door and they began to emerge from the car. A petite, effeminate-looking boy who looked about sixteen, and a blond girl who resembled the boy and looked to be around the same age, were among the first to get out of the car. They must be Jane and Alec. Next came a woman who appeared to have been turned in her late twenties, with long brown hair and watchful eyes that surveyed the crowd before she reached her hand into the car to help out a shorter man in a charcoal grey suit and shiny black hair pulled into a short ponytail. He smiled when his ruby-red eyes found me and then stepped out of the way to allow another male to emerge from the car. He was older in appearance, also in a charcoal grey suit, with long wavy hair that came down to his shoulders. The expression on his face was blank.

Behind him was a physically older vampire, in a navy blue suit, with grey hair down to his shoulders; his skin was almost translucent in appearance. The expression on his face, as well as reflected in his emotions, told me that this dude was a cranky old fucker and I was going to have my hands full with him. His emotions were careful, but something malevolent lurked beneath. I didn't trust him one fucking bit.

Carlisle and Eleazar stepped forward to greet them. "Aro, welcome." Carlisle said politely. Aro held out his hand expectantly. Carlisle hesitated and glanced back at Jasper and I. I shook my head 'No' minutely, indicating Carlisle should decline his handshake. I knew what Aro's power was, and really he didn't need to know all our shit.

"Eleazar," I said quietly, and just as Carlisle was getting ready to apologetically decline Aro's hand, Eleazar grasped it instead. Eleazar had seen some of our training, but it hadn't been present for much of my part in it. Aro wouldn't learn all of our secrets.

"Interesting," he cooed with his eyes closed as he reviewed Eleazar's thoughts. "So much talent; I feel like a child in a candy store!" He let go of Eleazar's hand, opened his eyes, and clasped his hands together. "Where do I begin?" He smiled, looking around through the crowd. "I see that Alice has made it here with her new mate," Alice nodded politely at Aro's observation, "But where is the former…" His eyes landed on Jasper and me. "Of course."

He stepped toward us and the brunette female trailed closely behind him. This had to be Renata, his shield. "Major Whitlock, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" Aro asked jovially.

Jasper met Aro's twinkling red orbs with his dark steely gaze. "Yes sir, I reckon it has," he drawled.

Aro tittered. "You reckon? Oh that's rich! I reckon," Aro mocked him in a manner he believed to be good natured, but I found it to be flat out fucking rude. I felt my eyes narrow as I continued to glare at him.

"Well you are looking well, Jasper, very well indeed. I take it this ravishing creature beside you is the reason for this?" He smiled at me. I didn't return the smile. "You're Bella, I presume?"

"I am."

He reached his hand for mine. "May I?"

"Knock yourself out," I said and placed my hand in his, knowing he wouldn't get a damn thing.

I smirked as his eyebrows first lifted in surprise, and then furrowed in concentration. "Well!" he huffed and released my hand. He then regained his composure and smiled like I was some asshole that didn't notice him getting all pissy a second ago.

"Problem?" I asked innocently.

"So you're a shield are you?" he asked me. "Is that why Edward couldn't read your thoughts? You were with Edward before, correct?"

"Yes," I answered, raising an eyebrow. "What's your point?"

"Impudent little thing, aren't you? I was merely noting you're doing a great job of keeping it in the family." He smirked at me. That smarmy motherfucker.

Jasper hissed below his breath and I could feel him working to keep himself calm. "I guess that's your fucking opinion," I calmly responded. Gasps were heard throughout the crowd and Jasper squeezed my hand. "Easy darlin'," he whispered.

Aro smiled wickedly. "Yessss," he leaned in close to me. "Easy, darlin'." His nose was mere inches from mine. I didn't flinch or step away.

"How about you cut the shit and get to the fucking point of all this, Aro?"

"Oh dear," I heard Esme moan.

"_Jasper, for the love of God, don't let her do this!"_ Edward hissed. God, he's such a pussy.

"Enough!" the older grey-haired one barked. "I've had enough of the young one's insolent behavior. Enough of the theatrics, Aro, let's deal with the matter at hand."

"And just what is the matter at hand?" Jasper asked. "We've done nothing wrong. My brother's getting married, that's hardly cause for annihilation."

"Quite simply put, _Major_, as a joined coven you are too powerful now. We can't have that. We are here to graciously extend our invitation for your more talented members to join us in Volterra. If they go peacefully, then we shall go peacefully. If we are refused, then we have no choice but to glean your numbers by force."

Jasper snorted. "So that's how this works? Join you or die?"

Aro smiled at him. "It's not as bad as you make it, young soldier. Volterra is a wonderful place! You and your mate would be quite comfortable there. I understand your wife has very intriguing talents." He looked me up and down like I was a thoroughbred under consideration for purchase.

"Not fucking likely," I muttered.

His eyes narrowed. "I really don't care for your tone, young one. I have been very tolerant, but I'm rapidly tiring of your disrespect. I think we're being generous in offering this opportunity to you, to Jasper, and of course the invitation is extended to Alice, Edward, and their mates as well." He looked around to them and smiled.

Alice looked away while Edward met his stare with narrowed eyes. "No thank you," he said quietly.

"Pity," Aro said just as quietly and his stare met mine.

"Look Aro, no one is leaping to accept your 'gracious offer', so either leave or we will stand against you."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Caius! Can you believe the moxie in this one? Marcus?"

I was pretty sure Marcus could give a flying fuck by the way he rolled his eyes, but Caius was all over it. "I can't believe you've let this go on as you have, Aro. Get to it!"

A slight smile crossed Aro's face. "Of course, Brothers. Let us confer, shall we?"

**Jasper**  
As Aro turned to decide our fate with his brothers, we took that as our cue to prepare for battle. With my hand behind my back I gave the signal for everyone to begin falling back, to create some space between us and the Volturi.

Bella and I were in the front line, with Emmett on the other side of Bella, and Peter on the other side of me. Edward and Alice were directly behind Bella and me, flanked by their mates.

"Status." I ordered quietly.

Edward spoke first, quickly and quietly. "This was a ruse, for the most part. They intended to fight and destroy whether or not anyone accepted their offer. Bella didn't make a fan out of them, by the way. She's a prime target."

"Jane!" Alice said all of a sudden. In an instant, Edward, Peter, Emmett, and I were all on the ground, our bodies wracked in pain.

"Oh _hell no_ you little bitch!" Bella hissed. She threw her hands out; with one she made a choking motion and raised it. Jane's body rose from the ground. Bella held her other hand out like a claw, clenched it, and then drew back sharply. Jane's head detached itself from her body, and as Bella's hands flung out, they were tossed in opposite directions. This all happened in about two-seconds.

We recovered immediately from the pain and leaped to our feet, crouched at the ready to fight. Alec saw his sister's body fall, and dropped to his knees. _"Jane!"_

"What's this?" Aro gasped, as Caius cried out _"Get them!"_

The battle was on.

The guard advanced and Bella crouched deeper with both palms out in a pushing motion. In unison, they were stopped in their tracks and even stumbled back a step. They tried to move forward, but it was as if there was an invisible wall blocking their path.

"What are you fools doing?' Caius growled.

"Master, something is pushing against us!" one of them cried.

Aro's eyes focused on Bella. "Impudent, yet extremely talented our Bella is. Are you certain you don't wish to join us child?"

"Go to hell," Bella growled, her jaw clenched in concentration as she held back the guard.

"Such a waste," Aro said softly. "Destroy her."

Alec, enraged by the beheading of his sister, turned his focus to us. A mist began to form over his head.

"Oh no you don't," I ground out and rushed him. In my fury my hands crushed his arms as I grasped them. He threw his head back and screamed in agony, and at that moment I lunged for his neck, shredding it with my teeth and removing his head. I finished dismembering the little bastard and then flung the pieces across the yard toward the fire Esme and Rosalie had quickly started when they saw the battle commencing.

**Bella**  
As the guard began to advance, it was like a switch had flipped. I went into a crouch, throwing my hands out in front of me like I was shoving someone. The eight guards in their front line stopped and then stumbled backward, knocked off balance. Aro wasted his time some more by offering me a position with his soon-to-be defunct guard and I told him where he could stick it. He gave the order for my destruction, and while Jasper was dealing with Jane's brother, a second string broke out from around the first group I still had frozen, and charged. Jasper, Emmett and Peter sprang into action, with the thirty vampires behind us fanning out around us to take on the next wave of guards that had emerged seemingly out of no where. Jesus, were these Towncars the fucking clown car edition? Where the fuck did they all come from?

There were about forty-five of us and nearly sixty of them. Emmett was taking on two, and Edward was a blur as he battled another. Jasper was in his full fucking glory as a warrior; rage flowed from him as he fought the tall goon who seemed to be in charge of the guards. His fluid movement was a thing of beauty, and I was awestruck to see him in action. When he roared in rage as he removed the head of his adversary, I felt it down to the depths of my core. This breathtakingly badass motherfucker, warrior of all warriors in the vampire world was _mine_.

Unfortunately I was too distracted by the grace-in-motion that is Jasper in battle, and was seized by two guards that had come from behind me. Hands gripped my arms as though they were about to rip me apart, thereby breaking the hold I had on the other guards I had rendered motionless. I summoned my own fury within me and pushed it out in a wave. The force was a visible shimmer that flung the two off me with a sharp crack like thunder. One of them swung at me and I ducked, dropping into a low crouch. I put my hands out in front of me like claws, clenched them and then spun in a half-circle. Both guards were flung with force into the waiting hands of Rose, Char, Tanya, and Esme, who were manning the bonfire for easy disposal of dismembered guardsmen. The four of them made quick work of the two guards and I turned to get back in the battle.

Jasper and Peter were delivering a brutal beat-down to three more guards; Edward and Tanya were working together on another – awww – and the trifecta of pasty evil was… quietly loading up in their limo to take off, apparently choosing to leave their dwindling guard behind. I don't fucking think so.

As the limo began pulling away, I raced in front of it. "Jasper!" I called to get his attention as I leaped in front of the car. I placed my hands against the grill, effectively stopping it. The wheels spun in the gravel Jasper, Peter, and Emmett reached the car. Emmett threw open the driver's side door and yanked the driver out while Peter reached in and killed the motor.

Jasper opened the rear passenger door. "Get out." The men didn't move.

I moved to stand next to Jasper and leaned in to make eye contact with Aro. "Get out of the fucking car. All of you."

Aro hesitated and looked at the floor of the car, and that was one second of hesitation too long for Jasper. He snarled, reached inside and grabbed Aro by the lapels and hauled him out of the car. "I'm fuckin' done playin' with you assholes."

I peered back inside looking at Caius and Marcus. "Either on your own power, or by mine, you two are getting the fuck out of this car. Right. Now."

Marcus sighed, scooted across the set and exited the car. Caius sat stubbornly in place, and, for real, I was fucking done with the games too. I reached in the car and hauled him out in much the same fashion Jasper had done with Aro. "Unhand me, you impertinent bitch! Just who do you think you are?" Caius growled.

Jasper handed Aro off to Peter and stood in front of Caius, grabbed him by the throat and snarled in his face. "You don't talk to my wife like that, you son of a bitch! I don't care how much of a badass she is, I will not have her disrespected by the likes of you. Now in case you fuckers haven't noticed, you just lost. Your reign of the vampire world has come to an end."

"Carlisle, Eleazar, can't we talk about this?" Aro pleaded. He wriggled in the tight grasp that Peter had him in, his arms twisted behind his back.

Carlisle crossed his arms glaring at Aro, and the kind doctor suddenly looked like one seriously pissed off angel. "You gave the order to destroy my family, my friends, and now you ask me for mercy? I'm sorry Aro, you made your choice." He clapped a hand on to Aro's shoulder. "Perhaps God will have mercy on your soul, because you will receive no mercy from me."

At Carlisle's touch, Aro's eyes widened as he gleaned the thoughts from Carlisle's mind. I heard Edward sigh. Aw, crap.

Aro smirked. "Oh, ho ho ho, Carlisle Cullen is not the man of pure heart and mind that all assume him to be! I must say I am surprised Carlisle, those are some dreadfully naughty thoughts you harbor about young Bella, my dear friend."

Carlisle yanked his hand away from Aro. "Someone get rid of this piece of shit," he muttered and stalked off. Peter did the honors, dismembering Aro's body with the rapid skill of a hundred years' experience.

"You won't get away with this!" Cauis roared. "Justice will be dealt to you, mark my words!"

I snorted. "You forgot to shake your fist and say _I would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids! _Tear this old fuck's head off, Whitlock. I'm over it."

"My pleasure, darlin'." Caius's pieces soon joined Aro's in the pyre.

As Jasper moved on to Marcus, we both paused when we sensed his resignation and… relief?

"You haven't had much to say, Marcus," I said to him, "and I'm sensing that you're not all that sad to see the Volturi's reign end. Why is that?"

He looked at me thoughtfully before answering. "Simply put, young Bella, my brothers were assholes who let the power go to their heads. You all didn't deserve this," he gestured at the carnage and destruction from the fight. Esme, Char, and Alice were still collecting random body parts and depositing them in the fire. "Kill me if you see fit to do so. My life has been entirely too long and too miserable and perhaps I shall find, at long last, the peace that I seek."

"What if we let you live?" I asked him.

"I will leave peacefully and will not trouble any of you ever again. You have my word."

Jasper and I could feel his honesty, and Edward confirmed with a nod that he was telling the truth.

"Then go. If we get even an inkling that you're attempting to rebuild any of what's been rightfully dismantled, we will come after you," I cautioned him.

He bowed respectfully to Jasper and I. "I won't give you cause to do so, I assure you." Emmett had already disposed of the limo driver, so Marcus selected one of the least damaged Towncars, and was soon on his way. It was over.

A cheer went up through the crowd, friends hugging, mates embracing. I turned to see Edward with Tanya in his arms, kissing her rather thoroughly. "Hey you two, there'll be enough time for that after the wedding!"

"And by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Edward, you may kiss your bride." Carlisle beamed with pride as he stood before Tanya and Edward. Edward lovingly caressed Tanya's cheek before closing the distance to kiss her.

The wedding was held in the gazebo as planned, that evening, with still smoldering pyres in the distance as its backdrop. A fairly casual reception party began, no food or drinks being served of course, but Alice and Emmett soon had everyone dancing to music spanning several generations.

Jasper and I danced to a few before we excused ourselves for some alone time and headed across the lawn back toward the house. To our surprise, we found Carlisle, Eleazar, and a few of the other elder vampires in deep discussion on the porch. A hush fell amongst them as we approached. They were rather hesitant and Carlisle was coming off as more than a little bit guilty.

"Hey guys," I said, cocking an eyebrow. "Are we interrupting something here?"

**Jasper**  
The five elder vampires exchanged nervous looks at each other before Eleazar sighed and nodded at Carlisle. Carlisle stepped forward, his palms pressed together in front of him as though in prayer, and he paused to gather his thoughts before speaking.

"We were just discussing the fact that the sole governing body of the vampire world has just been eradicated, and what steps need to be taken to organize new leadership."

"Why can't we just let it be?" I asked. "We just got rid of a bunch of corrupt tyrants and you want to install new ones? Fuck that."

Carlisle frowned at my words, but then Bella spoke up. "Actually Jasper, they have a point. Without leadership and regulation of some kind, that invites all kinds of chaos and reckless shit to begin. There still needs to be rules, and there should be someone to enforce them." She looked at Carlisle. "Whatever's decided, it should be a democracy of some sort, so whoever's in charge can't get all crazy power hungry like these last assholes did. And for God's sake put in time limits so they can't be in charge for hundreds of years."

Carlisle smiled at Bella and then glanced sheepishly at Eleazar. "I told you Carlisle," Eleazar said rather smugly. The other elders nodded, chuckling to themselves and seemed rather impressed about something. I had a bad feeling…

Bella gave a short laugh. "Yeah, well glad to be of some help I guess. Alright then, we'll catch up with you guys a little later, we're going to go get some air now. Come on Jazz, let's go." Bella seemed real nervous all of a sudden.

"Actually Bella, Jasper, if you two could stay a moment longer, there's something we'd like to run by you," Eleazar implored.

Bella sighed exasperatedly. "Please guys, I'm begging you, don't do this," she moaned.

"Don't do what?" I frowned. "Just what the fuck is going on here?" I glared at Carlisle.

He glanced apologetically at Bella before addressing me. "I think Bella already knows what we are getting at, so I'll get you up to speed. You see, she was very accurate in describing what we thought would be the best course of action for regulation in the vampire world. And we're in agreement that perhaps _she_ might be the best candidate to lead this governing body." You've got to be shitting me.

"They're fucking nominating me for President of the Fucking Vampires, Jasper," Bella bit out. "Thanks, but no thanks." She turned to stomp away, but Peter was blocking her path, the sneaky fucker. I didn't even hear him approach.

"You can't run from this Stella. They're right and you know it. Now embrace your fucking destiny and accept the nomination."

"No, Peter! Fuck that! I'm not a leader! I'm not anything! Shit, Jasper's the leader, why aren't you assholes nominating him?"

Oh hell no. "Whoa, now hold on, darlin'. I may be the leader on the battlefield, but they got a point. You fight just as hard with words as you do with your hands and your talent."

"Jasper, what the fuck; you're _agreeing_ with them?" She glared at me incredulously.

"All I'm sayin' sweetheart, is they have a point. Should there be other candidates to consider for this? Abso-fuckin-lutely. And I don't want all this responsibility hung on you, on _us,_ without havin' all the facts."

Peter waved his hand dismissively. "Y'all can go through the dog and pony show of rounding up candidates and elections and what the fuck ever, but Stella knows as well as I do that she's about to have a new job."

"Fuck this, I can't deal with this right now." Bella took off running toward the trees on the other side of the house. I started after her but Carlisle touched my arm.

"Son, nothing needs to be decided tonight, but it's something you two need to seriously consider. And like she'd said about term limits, it wouldn't be for forever. But with her charisma and her resolve, she's a fresh voice and has already proven herself worthy of respect." I just nodded at him and then raced off to the woods to find my mate.

Trees crashing in the distance pointed me in her direction, and I knew I was getting close as I was hit in the face with a wave of 'fucking pissed _off_''. Fan-fuckin-tastic.

She was standing with her hands on her hips with her back toward the path of destruction she'd just left. "Why me, Jazz?" she whispered. "I just want to go back to Boston, take my classes, graduate college for the first time, maybe go to Europe or Iceland or some shit. I want to be your wife and have fantastic sex three times a day, and do fun shit with our family. That's it. Simple. Being the leader of the new free vampire world does not fall in that fucking category."

I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Honestly Bella, I don't know what they're thinking, but if Peter's right, and you got one of your hunches about this, you know you have to do what is right. I know we have been through some shit today, so I'm gonna suggest we quit fucking thinkin' about it for now. Right now, I want to be your husband and have some fantastic sex right here in these woods. How does that sound, darlin'?" I traced my nose down the side of her neck.

She turned in my arms to face me. "It sounds like just the kind of distraction I was looking for." My mouth crashed onto hers and she grabbed my shirt and pulled me down to the ground with her. Her fingers threaded through my hair and she kissed me and held me tighter than ever before. "Love me Jasper," she moaned.

My lips moved down her throat and then I sat up to pull her shirt over her head, and remove my own. "Fuck Jasper, you looked so sexy out there in battle. I wanted to jump on you right there in front of everyone."

I undid the front clasp of her bra. "That a fact?" I asked her with a smirk before leaning down to take one of her peaks into my mouth. I teased and sucked at it until she began clawing at my jeans.

"I can't wait any longer, baby. I need you now. I need this. Please." I quickly got up and shed my jeans while she kicked off her boots and squirmed out of her jeans. I looked at her laying on the ground surrounded by the colored leaves that had fallen and was mesmerized for a moment at her sheer beauty; my warrior princess, now lying vulnerable and waiting for me to take her.

I knelt to the ground and hovered over her, my length grazing her entrance, and touched my lips to hers gently. "Please," she whispered. I thrust my full length into her, pulled out almost completely and then thrust in again. Over and over I did this at a leisurely pace, enjoying the connection of our bodies and the sound of her moaning and sighing my name. She began to move her hips faster, encouraging me to quicken my pace, and I obliged. And when her body began to quiver, I took that as my cue to pound the ever-lovin' shit out of her, until she was screaming my name as she claimed her release. With a few more pumps, I claimed mine thrusting as deeply into her as I could.

And because sometimes I can be an ass and I just can't resist, I kissed her softly, looked her in the eye, and asked her "How was that for you, Madame President?"

Turns out she can fling me into trees even from a prone position, without even lifting a finger. God, I love this woman.


End file.
